


The Life To Come

by EmptyIris



Series: The Days of Their Lives [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Demons, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Implied Sexual Content, Magic, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, Talking Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26833399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmptyIris/pseuds/EmptyIris
Summary: He kills, pillages, rapes, and destroys everything he can for the sake of power. His master created him to conquer and serve. But is it greed or something else that motivates him to take care of a vulnerable girl who fell to the surface with no way of returning home? Why does he refuse to let any harm come to her? Why does she eventually not want to return home? What are they?
Relationships: OC/Ghirahim (Legend of Zelda)
Series: The Days of Their Lives [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798846
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Campus - Vampire Weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alice - Avril Lavigne

**Chapter 1**

I worked hard to get here. So why do I feel so alone and sad? I should be excited, proud even, but I feel like nothing is going to get better. I am standing in the middle of an abandoned town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. I shouldn't have fallen asleep on the bus, otherwise, I'd know where the hell I am.

The ground was dry and cracked. The cold fall breeze was adding to the spooky vibe. This town was small and empty, I guess it was the perfect place to hide for a while, even though I had no one to hide from. The buildings seemed shabby and a bit unstable, but I couldn't stay out in the open all day. So walking towards the town was my best bet.

As I approached the town I noticed a small sign that read "Frasierville; home of the best potato soup in Clayton County." That didn't help me. I have no idea where Clayton County is and anyone can make potato soup at home, so why would they come to a dumb place like this to get some?

"I guess that's why this place when to shit," I muttered under my breath and kept walking. Lots of the buildings were locked or looked too creepy for me to waste my time in. However, I noticed a small saloon-looking building towards the middle of town that had an open door. It was dark and roaches scattered from shadow to shadow. If there were roaches during the day, this place must have had a serious problem. Living homeless in Chicago got me used to gross and nasty. Rats are more of my fear than some tiny roaches. I walked around the saloon and up towards the bar. Most of the alcohol looked to have been stolen a long time ago. However, some old tin cans of tuna and beans sat untouched and lonesome with a rusty can opener. I had been used to hungry so I didn't even think that I was until my mouth started watering.

I picked up an old, splintery chair and shooed some roaches away as I took the can opener and forced the cans open. I scooped the tuna and beans into my mouth with my hands. Shoveling it down fast and when they were empty, I knocked them off the table for the bugs. I wiped the bean and tuna juices off my hands onto my matted jeans. I needed to find a place to sleep for now before it got dark, and somewhere I wouldn't wake up with diseased creatures.

I began to walk further until a large bricked building sat at the end of the road. An old, glossy plaque read, "Frasierville Townhall; public library and records." The building seemed secure, so I pushed the door open and was surprised to find it opened. The door's lock had been broken by force. When I peeked in there were books and papers scattered everywhere. One of the newspapers that added to the messy collection had a headline that caught my eye. It read:

_Frasierville Façade: Beloved town actually a sanctuary for gypsies, Voodoo kings/queens, and other dark magic users!_

_One of the oldest landmarks of Clayton County has been a coverup for an elaborate society of dark magic users, cults, and Satanists. They have been actively practicing and using their magic throughout the past forty years. Their coverup was blown after some extensive tax fraud raised suspicion and brought local police to the town in an unannounced visit and caught the evil witches and wizard practicing in the public eye._

I stopped reading after I realized how entirely biased and crappy this article was. The date on the newspaper was April 22, 1959. This place had been abandoned for almost twenty years. It was sad to see that this was once a place for people to be who they were without anyone rejecting them. So much for freedom of religion. I wished I was born twenty years earlier so I could have seen what this place was like while filled with people.

I continued to walk through the building there were old magic books and history books thrown about. It was hard to not step on any of them. Towards the back of the first room, there was a small podium with an open notebook and a pen. At the top of the page, it read, "visitor sign-in". I smiled gently and took the pen and wrote in it.

_Catherine Martin, 14, Chicago IL. October 7, 1979_

I tried to make the handwriting neat. It was a good addition to this sad town. I hope wherever they went was somewhere safe and happy. I'd like to think that their kids are my age now and that they are continuing to be who they are despite what hateful people think.

There was a rustle behind me. I whipped my head around and didn't see anything. I was hoping it was just a breeze from the open front door, but I heard it again in a different part of the room. I took a large book from the floor and held it ready in defense. I tiptoed around to see if I could find anything. There was nothing, but I knew I heard something. Another rustle came from the far corner of the room behind some large shelves. I backed myself against a wall and waited for someone or something to show itself. After several gut retching seconds, a shadow across the room moved towards me. I screamed and threw my book as hard as I could, and to my relief, a small black cat dodged my throw just in time.

I slowly approached the cat and held out my hand. It seemed startled but then perked up towards my hand and gave it a lick. It must have still smelled like tuna. I began to pet it and calm it down. Once it had enough of my attention it began to walk away. I wanted it's attention even more now.

I quietly followed it as it slipped through a crack in a door blocked by broken furniture and garbage. I dug through and pulled everything out of my way, enough to climb through. The inside felt like a science lab. It had spells, magical recipes, and alchemy circles covering the walls. It was hypnotizing seeing some of their actual work still here.

The cat played around, hopping on old desks and shelves. This room was huge and went back further than I thought the building was. I continued to follow the cat throughout the room until I reached the back wall. On the floor was a large shattered mirror. The frame still hung on the wall and it was massive. Some of the shattered pieces were huge. I approached them closer and looked examined them.

To my surprise, I didn't see my reflection. I saw a sea of clouds blowing and reshaping themselves in the wind. It felt like I was looking up at the sky. I saw birds flying and the sunbeams shining over the bright blue. This has to be some sort of illusion, like a television. But televisions were big and bulky, this was thin and there weren't any outlets nearby. I moved my face closer to get a better look. Some of my stray hairs fell and tapped the glass and small ripples echoed their touch. I jerked my head back and stared as it calmed itself again. I reached out carefully and touched it with my finger, and again a ripple followed it but my finger didn't have any moisture or residue. I decided to be a little more daring and place my whole hand on it, but it slipped through like thin air. My hand felt the cool breeze on the other side. It felt thrilling. I crouched onto my hands and knees and pushed my face through with closed eyes and felt the cool breeze on my face. I pulled my head back out. I wanted to get a good look around, maybe see if there was some grass or something around the area I was looking up at. I took a deep breath and dove my whole head through.

I looked at the beautiful sights and began to turn my head. My hair was sticking straight up and my head felt heavy. I didn't see any grass, I just saw more sky. I wasn't staring up at the sky, I was staring down at the sky.

I felt something jump onto my back. Startled I reached one hand back and swatted at whatever was there. I felt soft fur and realized it was the cat. I tried to push it off my back but I felt a deep scratch over my hand as it jumped off. I jerked my hand back to look at it out of reflex. Right afterward, I leaned too far in and the gravity of the sky sucked me complete into the mirror.

I was free-falling at an unknown altitude. I screamed for help and for someone to hear me. I looked around at everything I could, but all I saw in the distance was a floating island with what looked like a little town on top. I was falling too fast and too far away for anyone to see me. I didn't know what to do. I worked hard to get here. I wasn't supposed to die now. There was nothing I could do, and if I survived who knows what life is to come from this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take A Chance On Me - ABBA

**Chapter 2**

Once I began to see water, relief was all I felt. This was the only possible saving grace. The water was active with plenty of populous boats floating throughout. There was some sort of commotion but at least there were people. They could help me, and maybe get me back to where I came from. I tried to maneuver my fall so I was feet first. And the closer I got, the more I wished there was a button to just kill me now. But inevitably I held my breath and hit the water.

Holding my breath was very pointless because as soon as I made contact the pressure shot water up my nose making me release most of the air I had trapped in my lungs. I tried to hold whatever was left a little longer though I was still sinking and I couldn't swim fast enough to break the surface. I felt a tug at my arm as I was starting to droop my eyes closed. It began to pull me fast through the water and something large grabbed and then yanked me out. Being greeted by air was a blessing I never thought was so good. I coughed up the water I had taken in and gasped desperately. Once I gained my composure I realized I was being held by a giant hand. I turned my head and saw a huge monster. This couldn't be real, these things don't exist in real life. I must have died or I'm having a vivid dream as my body slowly shuts down and sinks to the bottom of the lake. This thing was blue and scaly. It had a strange symbol on its head and it wore... clothes. It made a sound of confusion and then it spoke in some alien tongue.

"Please don't hurt me!" I pleaded. It looked at me confused. Boats drew near us and they had more odd creatures with weapons. A loud male voice roared in the distance. A tall man stood on top of a stone pier-like structure. He sounded quite angry. However, when this crazy thing yelled back she sounded more so. They screamed back at forth at each other as boats drew closer to us. As the two continued to argue across the vast lake, one of the boats fired a cannon at us. I screamed in terror and began to try and get out of this monster-lady's grip. She used her other hand and controlled the water to wipe out and destroy several ships. She was a murderer. All the people on those boats are dead now and she showed no remorse. The man began to yell a little more calmly as if he was negotiating. Her face relaxed a bit from rage and then looked at me. She shook her head and then held me closer to her slimy body.

From what I was gathering of the situation, it seemed that whoever that guy is in the distance is trying to get me away from her. And I was entirely on his side. I just need to get away from this monstrosity. I continued struggling and pushed away from her grip but it wasn't much use. I pounded on her chest where she held me and she glanced down at me. Tears streaming down my face I gestured toward myself and then pointed at the guy in the distance. Her face was astounded. The boats around us were called off and she began to fly us toward the man in the distance. She placed me down and then retreated toward the water again. I turned around to get a good look at the man. While he looked more human, he was still just as exceptional. His body was made from something that resembled metal. He was larger than any person I ever met. He was decorated with a diamond pattern and his eyes glowed. His hair was white and appeared firm as if it was just stuck in one style.

I began to breathe heavily and take some steps away from him. He smiled down at me and then placed a hand on my shoulder. He called out to the water and the boats began retreating to shore. I guess he did save me. He turned me to watch at him. He said something to me but I couldn't understand. It was a language I had never heard.

"I'm sorry, I can only speak English," I responded. He didn't understand me. He looked a bit frustrated. He squatted down to get closer to my height and gestured to himself.

"Ghirahim." He spoke slowly. That's his name. What kind of a name was that?

"Ghirahim?" I repeated unsure. He nodded, then he pointed to me. I stopped for a second because I didn't know what to say. Should I tell this random person my name so quickly?

"Cat-." I stuttered a bit because I didn't know if I should lie or just leave it there. I guess Cat could work… or Catherine, Caitie, Caitlyn, or many other things. Abruptly, something sparked in my head and I blurted it out. "Catto."

"Catto?" He repeated for clarification. I just nodded and left it at that. "Catto." He said more confidently. He stood up and reached out his hand towards me. I stared at it blankly. I wasn't going to hold his hand. He waited there for a second and then I shook my head indicating I wasn't going to do it. I didn't come here to hold hands with someone I didn't know, even if I am grateful for him saving me from a giant monster.

He threw his head back and groaned annoyed. He started talking to me again, but of course, I didn't understand. I just hoped they weren't questions, because I just continued to nod and listen as if I understood. When he went silent and waited for me to respond, I realized they were.

He was getting visibly more angry with the situation. He pointed at the sky aggressively. I nodded and then pointed at the sky and dragged my hand to point at the lake. Yes, I fell from the sky, I thought we established that. He rubbed his face to try and calm himself down. He began talking slower, but I still had no clue what he was saying. He pointed at the sky and then followed it with several gestures, such as eating and sleeping. I guessed that he was asking if I lived up there? I remembered those floating islands that had the little village on it. I shook my head. He appeared more confused, he waved his hand to follow him and we began to walk towards a large forest.

After exiting the platform I was greeted by an epic tree. I stopped for a moment to stare at it, I didn't think trees could physically get that big. Ghirahim stopped and waited for me but he realized I was too captivated. Irritated, he became too impatient and grabbed my wrist forcefully.

"Hey! Don't grab me like that! Let me go!" I tried to pull my hand from his grip but he was too strong. He wasn't paying attention to my yelling either. "Hey, Ghirahim!" He hesitated for a moment once I said his name. He looked back at me. I pointed to his tight grip on my wrist and used my other hand to represent letting go of it. He dropped my hand and then grumbled something. He started walking again and I followed closely behind.

I noticed that in the distance in the trees there were some of the weird creatures from the boats that I saw before. They were following and trying to catch up to us. Soon enough there was a large mass of them walking around us.

One came up and poked me in the head with the back of his spear a few times. I shooed him away but another grabbed the old ABBA T-shirt I was wearing and tugged on it.

"Hey, knock it off." I barked at them. They didn't listen though. Ghirahim just kept walking and I sped up a little to keep a bit closer to him. Those weird dudes kept up with me though. Soon enough at least five of them kept messing with me, one grabbed the waistband of my jeans and I pushed him aggressively away and yanked my shirt down to cover my butt. His friends didn't like that I did that and started screeching at me. They got more aggressive. An uncomfortable sinking feeling sat in the pit of my stomach. Being a young girl on the streets in Chicago meant lots of creepy guys tried to have their way with me. I was lucky to never have anyone get away with anything, but I never enjoyed that feeling of knowing things aren't right.

Once the commotion got louder, Ghirahim stopped and turned around. He saw me surrounded by them and shouted something at them. They slowly backed off and kept a good distance from me. I had no idea how much longer we were going to walk but I was still soaked to the bone and getting extremely tired.

One of the weird creatures screeched behind me. Out of the ground was a huge plant with teeth and a mouth, it looked straight out of a horror movie. It snatched one of the creatures up and chewed him several times before throwing him about thirty feet. I screeched from the terrifying scene and tried to get away from it. I didn't know what to do and it kept eating those things. I closed my eyes to turn away from the gore but I heard an unusual hissing noise soon afterward. I opened my eyes and the plant was sliced up and squished under Ghirahim's foot as he held a sword in his hand. He snapped his fingers and the sword he held disappeared into thin air.

"You're like a wizard or warlock guy aren't you?" I asked excitedly. He didn't understand me, which was unsurprising. "I'm surprised there no magic thing that can help you understand me." He turned around and continued to walk forward through the woods.

In the distance, I saw a great white, stone building. It was surrounded by woods and seemed very aged. I figured that this was the destination we were going towards. As we got closer the weird goblin guys began to back off slowly. I kept close to Ghirahim. We walked up a couple of stairs to the front porch of the house, no one besides the two of us were entering. I began to have that feeling in my stomach again.

Ghirahim turned around and yelled at the creatures and they began to disperse. He pushed open the huge and heavy wooden doors and held it open for me to walk through. I hesitated and looked at him with suspicion, he nodded. I walked in slowly and reserved. Once we were inside, we were in a long hallway that stretched and curved further back than I could see. Doors were scattered throughout the hall and part of it was covered in windows to let in sunlight. I jumped when I heard the doors close loudly behind us.

Suddenly, he got very close to me, his face inches away from mine and his glowing eyes gazed deeply into mine. That pit in my stomach got heavier. He reached up and gently grabbed my chin and moved my head around slowly and analyzed me. I reached up and pushed his hand away from me, my breath was quickening. He stared at the hand I just pushed away in obscurity. He reached it back out and ran it through my hair and then grabbed my ear. He seemed particularly interested, and the lack of words (whether I understood them or not) made the situation more nervous. I reached up and more forcefully pushed his hand away. This time he stood back up and nodded, I guess to show me that he was done messing with me.

He walked passed me and waved for me to follow him. I did and he took us to the first set of double doors on the right side of the hall. Inside was an enormous bedroom. It had one of the biggest beds I've ever seen. The room was a very darkly colored interior with reds and blacks complimenting each other. Bookshelves reached the tall ceiling. I noticed there weren't any light or lamps to be seen, only candles or lanterns scattered the room. A large fireplace was against the far-right wall. As we began to walk further in, and my curiosity peeked, I skimmed my eyes over the lower walls. No outlets.

Ghirahim began to walk, but as I followed he raised a hand to stop me. He walked to a dresser and opened a drawer. For a guy who seemed pretty alone right now, he sure had a big dresser. There was a single door on the left part of the room and I can only think that it may also be a closet. He opened the drawer and pulled out a large shirt. In another drawer, he grabbed a towel as well. He brought them back to me and handed them to me. I forgot I was still in wet clothes, at least I wasn't dripping anymore. He walked past me again and mumbled something to himself and then waved me to follow him again. He brought us out of the room and directly across the hall to a single door. He opened the door and walked in, he snapped his fingers and a small chandelier and some lanterns lit and filled the room with dusky light. It was a bathroom. There was a large bath that covered one half and the other half had an old-looking toilet and large sink. There was a giant mirror that covered most of the back wall.

He started to talk slowly as he made motions with what he was saying to help me understand. He gripped my wet clothes and pointed to the towel in my hands. He then pretended to carry an imaginary towel and set it outside the bathroom door. I nodded to show I understood and he responded. He walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

I slowly pealed or my wet clothes and dried myself with the towel. I put my wet shirt, jeans, socks, and shoes in the sink. My hightop sneakers were mainly fabric anyway, so getting washed or dried shouldn't hurt them. I just hoped that's all they will do to my clothes anyway. The floor was the same as the rest of the house. It was a white marble-like stone that was cold on my feet. I was left in my wet bra and wet underwear.

"I'm not about to go commando under this t-shirt," I said to myself in the mirror. But my bra and underwear were just as soaked as everything else and they were starting to smell bad from being worn for so long. I decided to take my bra off since I didn't think anyone would notice because of how flat-chested I was anyway. I pulled the shirt I was given over my head. It was a black shirt and it went down to a little above my knees. I took my wet clothes and folded them inside the towel. I took a hair tie that was around my wrist and tried to tame the mess of my insane hair. I used the sink to rinse off some of my BO. I knew I was still going to smell, but I wasn't planning on taking a bath at this random person's house.

"What am I doing here?" I sighed to myself. There's no electricity or anything to help me get out of here. I couldn't call the police or the orphanage. I'm in the middle of nowhere in a time or place that no one will find me. I don't know how to survive here by myself. Nothing about this story was going to end well.

I picked up the towel and opened the door. I was startled and screamed as I saw one of those goblin guys waiting there. He made a snorting sound and then reached over to take the towel from my hands. I let him take it and crept my way out of the bathroom as he vanished down the hall with my clothes.

Ghirahim stood leaning against the bedroom door. I guess he was waiting for me. The sun was starting to go down and the light that filled the hall began to turn deep orange. I looked out the large windows and waited for Ghirahim to instruct me on what to do. I yawned quietly to myself and his head perked up in response. He flicked his head for me to follow him back into the room as he opened the door. I walked in after him.

He walked to the right side of the bed and patted it. He pointed at me and then pretended to sleep. He got up and walked to the left side of the bed and then pointed to himself and pretended to sleep. I shook my head no. He rubbed his face in frustration and then got up to walk towards me. He aggressively pointed to the bed and then held one finger up. He only has one bed.

I shook my head no again. He was getting visibly upset. He grabbed my arm and forcibly guided me to the right side of the bed. He had me lay down and pulled some of the blankets over me. He shushed me and then went to his side. Because the bed was so huge, there was a good six feet between us; I was still uncomfortable. Yeah, he saved me and has been pretty nice but he seemed... off. I didn't want him messing with me while I was asleep. So regardless of how tired I was, I was going to stay awake.

After a few hours of me lying there with my back towards him, I caught myself starting to doze off. I kept snapping myself awake before it was too late. I felt him get up and he walked over to my side of the bed. I didn't even bother trying to pretend I wasn't awake. He was at my feet and poked me. I turned my head to look at him.

He said a word I didn't understand. He then used his hands to pretend to sleep. He repeated the word and continued to do this. I repeated to word back to him and he nodded. I suppose I just learned the word for "sleep."

I turned my head away from him and stared off into the darkroom again. I tried not to close my eyes even though they were getting heavier. He groaned in frustration and then walked back over to his side of his bed. I didn't move or look at him. I continued my process of staying awake even longer.

I caught myself asleep and then jumped awake a little too hard. I sat up and looked over and Ghirahim was nowhere to be found. My nerves were slightly eased by this. So I lied back down and decided to let myself sleep until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, its good to be back. Thank you for all the incredible support already. It makes my day to get the kudos I've earned. This book is going to be formatted a bit differently than the rest so bare with me. It will all be explained in the next chapter which will be posted in a few moments. Please continue to read, kudos, and comment! It helps support me in a free and encouraging way that only takes a couple of clicks on your part.
> 
> -Iris


	3. Chapter 2 G

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter wear we switch perspectives. I’ll put a little letter underlined with the chapter to indicate whose chapter it is. There may be two of the same chapter so do not stress if you notice that. It’s the same timeline, just a different perspective. It won’t always be a thing but when it is I will try to post both parts within a week so keep an eye out because I might have an irregular posting schedule until I get the hang of it.

**in short...**

**Catto=Chapter X C**   
**Ghirahim=Chapter X G**

**Chapter 2 G**

“I am going to give you one last chance to surrender!” I shouted across the water to the sea serpent. She was making this task all the more difficult than it needed to be. 

“Ghirahim, you brought troops into my waters with no proper plan. I refuse to let your careless war strategies disrupt the peace of my people.” She was irrational. Careless war strategies?! How obtuse of her to think. I knew taking her out before the hero and goddess found their way down here would be my best bet of trapping them. I have been residing in these woods long enough to know its ins and outs. 

“Your highness, would you please respect me and call me by my title of lord? I respect your title, it’s the least you can do in return when you’re surrounded by my minions!” I taunted her. My minions had taken over half the lake already and were going to progress towards her kingdom. I was not expecting her to meet us so far away from our target destination. 

“Ghirahim, even to the demons you are little of a lord. You abandoned them. I will call you a lord once you prove you are mature enough to be one. Your little battalion has made it quite far into the lake, I will admit, but it’ll only take a matter of seconds before my daughters have their stomachs full of pork.” She was so monotone it was painful. And to bring her “daughters” into the foul game of war was repulsive. They may be powerful but they do not need to be here. I could feel myself lose control of my visual composure. 

“Your highness, leave your daughters out of this and just give me Lake Floria-“ I stopped when I heard a scream hum from above us. I could tell the serpent heard it too when we both looked up. There was a human falling from the sky. It was very peculiar. She braced herself for the impact of the water quite poorly and then vanished into the blue. 

“Malice, bring her to me.” Faron snapped toward a small head that was swimming under the surface of the water. It was her youngest daughter. She swam deep and in a blink of an eye, the body of a girl was brought to the surface where the dragon snatched her up. 

“That isn’t fair!” I yelled, outraged by her lack of respect in such a formal battle. “She fell into my waters, the waters I fought for, so she’s mine!”

“Ghirahim, you have no use for a child like this!” She roared at me. My face began to boil in a fit of rage. The girl was coughing up water and looked overwhelmed. 

“So what, she is still mine-“

“This is my lake, Ghirahim you haven’t won any of it. She is not a prize to be had.” She was loathsome. She had no regard for my feelings. “Child, where did you come from?” She asked confused. What a dunce, she is clearly from the human sky utopia. I could easily send her back and be the hero she needs at this moment. Nevertheless, I couldn’t contain myself when the girl turned to look at Faron and ruptured into a screaming terror. It was exquisite to see both of their faces. 

“Give her to me, your highness. She is terrified of you!” I pestered while chuckling. Faron growled to herself. The girl began to speak and sounded like she was begging for something, but she spoke of a language I had never heard in my lifetime. 

“With time, she shall adjust. Better than in the hands of the likes of you!” She spat at me. I was offended. Everything about this reptile ruined my appetite.

“Bokoblins, retrieve the girl at all costs,” I yelled down to my minions in the lake. I enjoyed having my terrace away from all this mess. I could never be in that disgusting water for so long. 

This girl began to beat against the dragon to try and escape. It was pitiful, she was so frightened. She then turned and began to point towards me, how sweet. My heart fluttered at the sight of her acknowledgment. She sincerely realized I was the better option. 

“You see! She would rather be in the hands of someone like me.” I stated proudly. She did not respond. “How about this, you give her to me and I call off my troops from your lake and I promise to keep her safe.” I offered. She looked down at the girl who was crying in fear. She was peeved, I could tell. She flew up to the diving terrace I was perched on and set the girl down. 

“You will not enter my waters again, and you will return her to the humans in the sky.” She commanded. 

“You have my word.” I placed my hand over my heart and bowed to her. The girl turned around, and while she was not horrified like she was to see the serpent, she did not look entirely thrilled to see me up close. It was disheartening, to say the least. I tried to remain calm, she would surely come around if I show her the kindness she was needing before. I placed my hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She was very small, well I suppose all humans are that way. It had been centuries since I last saw one. Her hair was peculiar, it was a deep orange- actually closer to a red. It was very wavy and tangled. She was at least sixteen if I had to guess. My concept of human age was a bit neglected. I would inspect her later, something seemed... off about her. 

“Bokoblins, we are retreating, return to shore. We shall disburse in the forest.” I instructed. They blew their horns and began to sail back in. I tried to grab her attention. “What is your name?” I ask slowly. She stared blankly back at me. What was wrong with her? She responded with some strange nonsense that I couldn’t understand. I supposed I need to have patience and take this slow. She will likely be out of my care soon enough. 

I patted my chest and slowly introduced myself. “Ghirahim”. She looked back at me. 

“Ghirahim” she repeated. Her voice was soothing once I understood it. My name sounded like music from someone else's mouth. I pointed at her and she nodded but was hesitant. 

“Catto.” She answered but she didn’t seem so confident in her name. She was a bit dense. 

“Catto?” I asked for clarification and she nodded uncomfortably. “Catto.” I firmly said her name to reinforce it. There wasn’t much use for it besides to figure out where she can from. I figured the journey back was going to be a long and possibly dangerous. Seeing how frightened she is by everything, I graciously held my hand out for her to hold as we walk, she starred at it almost in disgust and denied it. How rude. She has no idea what I am doing for her. 

“I was going to let you have time to get cleaned up before I return you but if you’re so reluctant to accept my kindness then I will just send you back now. Now, I have not seen the human sanctuary in a while so forgive me on my outdated mental map. Which island are you from?” She looked as though she understood me but didn’t answer. I growled to myself and pointed at the sky to help her visualize what I could be saying. “Which island?” She nodded and pointed to the sky and illustrated with her hands that she fell from the islands. This girl is an idiot. Does she not want to return to her own home? It is as though she wanted to be stranded out here. I rubbed my face and calmed myself before I created an outburst. 

“Which,” I pointed ore dramatically at the sky and paused for her to process. “Island, do you,” I pointed to her and then continued spelling out my question. “Live on?” I pretend to eat, sleep, and any other human quality I could show with my hands. This was humiliating and degrading for a person of my position. Her eyes narrowed to focus and she slowly seemed to process my question. But she shook her head in response. I gave up. It wasn’t a yes or no question. She was not going to get back to where she needed to be anytime soon unless I get rid of this language barrier. For now, I could only offer her some hospitality. I waved my hand for her to follow me towards my home through the woods. 

My minions should be steadily catching up so there’s no need to keep an eye on her while she’s behind me. Besides, I wanted to think about the situation a bit more. She doesn’t speak any native language nor seems familiar with the environment here. How was this even going to work, I have patience but likely not enough to take care of her until she’s fluent enough to hold a conversation. I have more pressing matters, such as reviving my master. 

I heard her footsteps stop. I turned around and she was staring off at the Great Tree. She looked as though she had never even heard of the rumors about it. I know that the humans at least have the historic tales of the tree. When she wasn’t moving along I got a bit bothered and decided to force her to continue moving. I grabbed her wrist and dragged her with me. She grew angry instantly and started pulling away. Such outrage from a small female was extremely bold and not what I was expecting.

“Hey, Ghirahim.” She barked. I was surprised by her use of my name. It wasn't a song anymore and I suddenly regretted not giving her my full title. I should have told her Lord Ghirahim but I was keeping it simple for translating purposes. Regardless, I turned around to see what she wanted. She communicated with her hands to tell me to let go of her. I released her wrist from my hand. 

“Don’t slow me down and I won’t touch you.” I mumbled to myself. She didn’t seem to hear me at all. I saw my minions in the distance starting to catch up. They would surely keep her entertained and moving. I began our journey again and ignore her the best I could while navigating. I could hear them provoking her and her yelling at them in response. I kept it to myself but I was smirking slightly. I wanted to keep progressing. She got more and more infuriated with my minions and I heard them begin to squeal loudly at her aggression. It got so loud I could hardly hear my own thoughts. 

“Leave her be,” I commanded as I turned around. She looked cold, ashamed, and humiliated as she stood there with her shirt stretched and still dripping wet. 

I wanted to continue forward but I heard one of the captains call an alert and soon after a screech of pain. A Deku Baba sprouted from the ground and decided he was hungry for one of my bokoblins. I looked over at Catto who was entirely dumbfounded by the creature and looked pale. I summoned my sword and stepped up while it was devouring one of the minions and sliced its stem. I squished it’s juicy plant head under my foot and put away my sword. I turned back to Catto and she looked at me with amazement, rightly so. She spoke something to me, but I don’t know why she did since I hadn't become fluent in her language in the last ten minutes. 

I rolled my eyes and turned around to continue walking. I could see my manor in the distance. Maybe I could find some information in my library on who the hell this child could be. 

We began to approach the front porch and I turned to see my minions obediently distancing themselves from the house. They know better than to enter my residence unless I summoned. I prefer not to see their hideous faces. I turned to their masses and yelled “you’ve been released today” and they began to leave the area to go back to their camps. I turned towards the door and opened it and holding it for Catto to walk through. She didn’t look so enthused by my kind gesture. She looked at me with an uneasy glance. Yes, I could have my way with her as soon as these doors shut behind us, but I am attempting to cultivate a relationship of trust. There was something about her, I did not want to see it damaged. Perhaps it was something I could use to sabotage the goddess. I nodded to her for her to enter and she walked through. I followed closely behind her and the door fell shut behind us. 

We were finally alone and I wanted to get a good look at her. I approached her and stared into her eyes. She had the deepest blue eyes I’d ever seen. They were like an ocean but they began to gloss over in fear the longer I stared at them. I reached up and grabbed her jaw gently and looked at her cheeks and profile. It certainly matched most humans I have seen. She reached up and brushed my hand away from her. I was surprised by how forward that was. I stared at her hand which had just pushed mine away. She had small hands and they were very dirty. I understand it’s uncomfortable but I am just trying to concede everything about her. Her hair was such a spectacle for me. It was so unique and almost unnatural... almost. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen before and honestly quite a fascinating scheme. It was still knotted and soaked. I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy to dry or brush. 

I reached up and grabbed her face again when I noticed something peculiar, I couldn’t find her ears. I slowly took my hand and reached up to her hair expecting for there not to be any ears or just some holes in her head. Instead, I was relieved to see that she had small rounded ears instead. They seemed much more humble than typical human ears, but a lot less practical too. How could she hear properly if they aren’t big enough to collect the sound? Perhaps she was deaf and this was the language barrier. No, she has reacted too many times to sound, that couldn't be it.

She got more forceful when pushing my hand away. She did not seem comfortable in the slightest which I didn’t understand because I was being very gentle. Regardless, I acknowledged her boundaries and instructed her to follow me towards my bedroom. 

I welcomed her in and she seemed shocked to see a room such as mine. It graced me to think she may not have had a luxury such as this. She was not in the best conditions after all. Her clothes were far more matted and torn than anything acceptable for the humans in the sky. She wasn’t dripping water through my house anymore but she had a similar smell like a wild animal. I could not assist her while she continued to be this state. It was horrendous.

I realized I had no female clothes. I was going to have to improvise, but I was not that nervous considering she was not wearing the most feminine flattering clothing. She didn’t appear flattering in her outfit at all. She truly may have been from a worse situation than the humans have in the sky. I grabbed her an old shirt I had tucked away in a draw, it was large on me, and considering I am at least triple her size it should be large enough to cover what she needs. I went in another drawer and pulled out a towel which I had a feeling was going to be extremely large for her as well, it was her lucky day. I went up and handed them to her and she struggled at first to hold them properly. 

“You smell like a Guay shat on your head,” I grumbled after catching a whiff of her again. I hope getting her out of those clothes will help significantly. Tomorrow we can try to get her hair and body smelling properly as well. I also needed to start teaching her Hylian because we wouldn’t get anywhere with her not understanding me. 

I showed her to the bathroom and helped her understand to leave her clothes outside of the door for one to the bokoblins to take and clean. She seemed to have gotten the proper idea. I didn’t want her snooping through my house or getting lost so I walked back toward my bedroom door across the hall. I heard the echos of her talking to herself. She was novel but I would admit that I too talk to myself on occasion. I leaned against my door and waited. She was taking her time and it was getting late. I almost wanted to go knock on the door but I figured I’d give her some space. I rested my eyes and continued to lean in my comfortable position. It was a long arduous day leading an attack and retreating to save a child. It took us all day to get where we were in the battle against the sea serpent, I was incredibly selfless to drop it all for this little brat. 

I hadn’t realized I was trapped in my thoughts. I heard Catto yawn from outside of the bathroom. My servant must have already taken her items to wash. The large shirt fitted like a nightgown, swallowing her almost entirely. It made her look even smaller. She seemed a bit uncomfortable in it. Her hair was a tamer but it was still a nest. She could certainly use a brush or comb. When she got closer to me I noticed she smelled significantly better, still not as a human should but still better. 

I gestured for her to go inside my room after me. I showed her that she occupied one part of the bed and I had the other to sleep but she refused to take up my offer. I rubbed my face in frustration and then tried to explain that she had no other place to sleep. It was either this or the floor. She continued to refuse! I wasn’t trying to have my way with her; I would have already done that and I do not have any lust or romantic feelings towards humans, let alone human children. I was not going to argue with her over something so obsolete for my kind. I forcefully pinned her down and told her to hush while I went to my section and got myself into bed. I tried to relax and show that we have plenty of room to stretch and still not touch one another while asleep. I could still tell she was tense. She was stiff and on the edge of the bed and didn’t move at all to get comfortable. Was she truly going to be this difficult?

I rolled out of my bed after waiting a while for her to put her guard down. I could tell she was tired. She was staring off into the room looking as though she was fighting off every spell of sleep that fell over here. I walked up and sat at her feet but she didn’t react. I tapped her gently to get her attention. 

“Sleep,” I instructed her calmly. She looked like she was attempting to hide her exhaustion. Once I got up she glanced back into the room as she was before and blatantly disobeyed me. How incredibly disrespectful? I walked back over to my side and laid back down. 

A few hours last and she still was not asleep yet, or if she did drift off she would jerk herself awake and shake the bed which got bothersome quickly. I figured she would sleep better if she knew I wasn’t in the same bed as her, and if I’m honest I can’t sleep with her jerking like that every few moments. I got up quietly and began to creep out of the room. When I turned back to look at her and close the door I notice her eyes were closed and her hands had relaxed by her side. It was a very innocent sight which made me relieved to see. I walked silently down my hall and into my library. I had not been in here properly for a while but I remembered that I’d often find myself asleep on the reading sofa I had in there. It should be a good alternative to my bed, just not as extraordinary. 

I laid down on the couch and I was quick to find that it was nowhere near as nice as my bed. It was only good after long reads and for short naps. This was not made for a comfortable full night of sleep. Alas, I wanted her to get some rest and I wasn’t going back. What is a single night of poor sleep to me compared to however many she appears to have had? I know I don’t know much of her but she was not given the life that the goddess promised her humans in the sky. She was fascinating in her own way in more ways than I could imagine. And she trusted me over that silly water snake which I suppose gave her some credit for rationality. She might be useful, or she might just be someone who isn’t a brainwashed Hylian. Regardless, I was going to help her, and she was my prize to keep safe until she can get back to where she is from. 


	4. Chapter 3 C

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Believer - Rufus Wainwright

**Chapter 3 C**

I woke up to sunlight pouring into the room. I wish this place had blinds, but instead, there are big decorative curtains that weren't pulled closed. I was still tired but I couldn't sleep well with that light right in my eyes. I flipped away from the window and realized I was still in this huge bed and Ghirahim was still not in the bed with me. I guess he slept somewhere else? I'm surprised I slept at all. I thought he was going to pull something on me during the night. I sat up and looked around. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. My stomach clenched in pain. I was hungry, I was honestly starving. After everything yesterday, I'm not surprised that my body burned right through that canned food I ate in the old town. And that was the only thing I had eaten in two days at that point.

I fell back into the bed and stretched out. I needed food, but how do I communicate that? Where was Ghirahim anyway? Did he even have food? I needed to figure out some of these answers soon otherwise I would probably pass out from hunger.

I sat up gradually and kicked my legs off the bed. I stood up slowly and walked towards the door. I opened it gently. The floor was cold on my bare feet so I tried to walk briskly to keep my toes warm. I peaked open a set of doors and saw an enormous library that elegantly stretched greater than the rest of the abode. The other and last set of doors had an interesting room that had many desks with papers, shelves with vials, jars with liquids, and dishes with plants. There were large bowls and a few cauldrons place throughout the room. I jumped when a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me backward. I saw the door shut in front of me. I turned to see Ghirahim looming over me. He didn't say anything he just stared annoyed. My stomach grumbled. I pointed at it and made an eating gesture. He dropped his head into both his hands in frustration. He did a little irritated dance with his feet and then calmed himself down. He waved for me to follow him and I did.

I was escorted down the hall, back to the bedroom I just came from. He opened the door and pointed to the bed. I walked over and sat down at the foot. He closed the door grumbling to himself.

Before long, Ghirahim came back with a tray. There was a cracked mug with some water and a plate with some old dusty-looking crackers, and some dried fruits. While it wasn't exactly appetizing, it got the job done. I began to quickly devour the food. I got about halfway done, but the tray was taken away from me. I looked up disappointed as Ghirahim stood there looking very irritated. He shook his head. I took a small fruit and slowly brought it up to my mouth. I knew I was eating fast but he didn't have to be so rude. I slowed down my chewing and rolled my eyes. He seemed very offended and then flicked me on the forehead

"Ouch!" I hissed. He widened his eyes and looked at his hands in surprise. I guess he thought he hurt me, which he didn't. It was just a silly flick, but he looked as though he took it very personally. I felt bad and held out my hand gently to touch the one of his. He looked up at me and I smiled gently. He jerked his hand away and looked away.

The water tasted excellent. I can't remember the last time I had some fresh water. Honestly, that was the best part of the meal. I drank it faster than I wished. I'm sure I could get more later but I didn't want to be rude. I put the cup down and handed him the tray back. He took the tray and told me to follow him. I got up and walked with him down the hallway. This time we were going down the other side of the hallway. We turned into one of the small doors and it was a kitchen. There were an old iron stovetop and oven. Many cabinets covered the walls. In one of the corners, there was a large old sink. He placed my tray in the sink and rinsed off some of the dishes.

He turned to me and spread his arms out wide. He spun around dramatically to make a point. He then sounded out a word and looking impatiently at me to repeat it. Kitchen.

"Kitchen," I said in his language and he nodded with a grin. "Kitchen," I said again. He brought me outside the kitchen and did the same to the hallway. "Hallway?" I repeated. I was hoping I was pronouncing the words correctly in his language. He didn't do much more than sound them out for me. He brought me down to the bathroom, where I was last night. He taught me the word for bathroom, and then library, and then bedroom, and then we got to the room he shut me out of earlier. He opened the doors and let me in. I didn't know what this room was. It looked like a cross between a science lab or a room for magic. So when he had me pronounced the word, I was not certain about what it directly translated to.

I looked around the room, he let me pick up some jars and flip through some of the open books even though I couldn't read them. There was a balcony that engulfed the room with light. I went over on my own and opened the door. It looked out into a large lake that was far below us. It seemed like an outlet of the lake I fell in before. It must stretch farther than I thought. I could smell the water. I had never smelled water like this before. I closed my eyes and leaned on the railing. The breeze felt cool on my face. I opened my eyes and decided to bend over the railing to see what was right below me but my stomach clenched and felt dizzy. I was losing balance and my mind began to feel as though it was falling. After yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised by a new fear of heights, it's something I'm willing to explore about myself.

I heard a yell of panic behind me and Ghirahim grabbed my shoulders firmly to drag me back into the room. He quickly closed the doors behind him and heaved as though he was out of breath. Maybe I looked like I was going to jump? I don't know but he seemed kinda freaked out. He shook his head anxiously and mumbled something to himself. I couldn't help but laugh a little. He was a big weirdo. He looked at me laughing and at first seemed taken aback but then he lightened up and let out a couple of relieved chuckles.

He let go of the doors and patted my head gently with his hand as he walked past me. I followed him out of the room and into the hallway. I looked down at my feet and realized I was still in this t-shirt nightgown. I reached up and poked his arm as he was walking. He stopped immediately and turned around a bit surprised. I grabbed the t-shirt to show him. I tried to remember the word he taught me last night. I dug through my memory and said.

"Ghirahim- sleep."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. I was trying my best to say these were his pajamas and that would hopefully let him know I want my clothes back. "Ghirahim," I said while clenching part of the shirt. He nodded for me to continue. "Sleep," I said again. He bent down to even our height difference. He shook his head and taught me "no" and nodded and taught me "yes". Then he used his hand and covered my eyes and said the word for "sleep" and when he took it off he said a new word, which I put together to mean awake.

"No- Ghirahim sleep. Catto awake." I said slowly. He snapped his fingers and one of those weird pig dudes appear behind him. The pig dude had a big sword hanging from his belt. I jumped back and leaned against the wall in fear. I forgot about those things and I never know if they are going to attack me with those weapons always on them.

Ghirahim saw my reaction and looked back at the thing and sighed. He walked up to me and started pushing me towards the creature. The thing stared past me like a bird. I didn't know what to do. Ghirahim said something behind me. He was holding me there so I didn't run away but I was honestly very freaked out by this thing. The creature reached into a satchel that was on its back and pulled out my clothes. They were neatly pressed and cleaned. He had washed them for me. I held them close to my chest and then bowed slightly.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." I didn't want to shake his hand because he looked kinda gross, but I still appreciated his help.

Ghirahim let go of me and snapped his fingers and the guy was gone. He turned me around. Then he mimicked my bow and said something slowly. I repeated it and he responded politely. "Thank you" and "you're welcome". He opened the bathroom door for me and I walked in and closed it behind me. Quickly changed back into my clothes. This was probably the first time these clothes were ever washed properly. I smelled a little better with them on. I will have to take a bath tonight if I can.

I folded the big t-shirt and walked out of the bathroom. I handed it to him. He had it disappear quickly afterward. He really didn't like carrying things. I suppose if I could make everything I'm holding disappear until I needed it again then I would as well.

He guided me towards the library. When we walked in there was a nice living area to read books. Next to that was a corner with a large white grand piano, and next to it a stand with a violin. He pointed to the couch and then walked towards one of the ladders that reached up to the ceiling. I sat down and watched him climb and sort through the books around him. He would pick a few and then stack them up. He used some sort of magic to levitate the books close to him while he slowly climbed back down. He came over and sat on the other side of the couch. He opened some of the books and flipped to some specific pages. None of them seemed like simple books, but he handed me one and it looked to be like a chart of an alphabet. He began to point at each symbol and help me pronounce each one.

For the rest of the day, we sat there and reviewed some of the basic language foundations together. I appreciated it and he seemed very patient working with me. At times he would get visibly frustrated but he would calm himself down and continue to help. By the end of the day, I could form simple sentences with familiar vocabulary. The sunset drained the light from the room quickly. We cleaned up the books together and he helped lead me back to the bathroom. He handed me the t-shirt again, this time with a towel and a small rock. I was confused about the rock until inspected it more. It was soap. He then walked into the bathroom and pulled a lever that released a flow of water into the large tub. While it filled up he turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind himself.

I quickly undressed and stepped into the bath. It wasn't cold but it certainly wasn't warm either. It was just plain room temperature water. It was better than nothing. I used the soap and tried to get all the grime and oil off of me. The soap didn't have any scent but certainly was strong. It worked wonders for getting me clean. I tried rubbing some on my hand and then shampooing my hair with it. It didn't work great but it worked. With thick and curly hair like mine, it's easy for it to get gross very quickly.

I finished my bath and change back into my nightgown of a t-shirt. I went into the bedroom but he wasn't there. I decided to crawl into my side of the large bed and wait for him. After today, he isn't that bad of a person. He warmed up to me I think.

After a bit, Ghirahim walked in and looked up a bit surprised to see me already in bed. I had folded my clothes and put them at the foot of my bed. I pointed to them.

"Clothes there." I brokenly spoke. He nodded and the clothes disappeared but he didn't snap his fingers. He just stood there for a second.

"I sleep in the library." He said slowly. That must have been where he slept last night. I realized I kicked him out of his nice bed. I dropped my head and shook it slowly. He seemed confused.

"No, I sleep in library." I corrected and quickly jumped out of the bed and walked up to him in the doorframe. He sighed and patted my head.

"You sleep in the bed." He reassured. I shook my head in response. I wasn't going to have him not sleep in his bed because of me. He took me in, gave me food, cleaned me and my clothes, and taught some basic language foundations today. I was the intruder, I needed to sleep on the couch. I began to push past him to head to the library but he stepped over and blocked my path.

"You sleep in bed," I instructed. He shook his head. I groaned and then tried to push past him. He gently blocked me with his arm and scooted me backward. I huffed in defeat. He cracked a smile and chuckled. I smiled back and turned around. I walked back to the bed and laid down.

"You sleep in bed," I repeated and pointed to his half of the bed. He gave a slight grin and walked to his side and laid down. We turned to face away from each other and the light in the room got dimmer as night crept in. It was definitely still weird to be in the same bed, even if we were pretty separated. I knew he wasn't asleep yet and I think he knew the same for me. It was just an awkward silence between us. I regretted not going to the library now. I decided to wait a bit longer. After a good bit, he had to have fallen asleep. So I slowly creeped out of the bed with a pillow and tiptoed to the door. I reached out for the handle and I blinked. I blinked and got very confused. I was back lying down in the bed as if I never even got up.

"You sleep in the bed." Ghirahim groaned from the other side. Did he teleport me back to the bed? What's up with him? He acts all tough but then refuses a girl like me to sleep on a couch. I had a feeling he was much nicer than he would like to let on. I smiled a wide smile as I turned away from him again in the bed. He was sweet.

"Thank you," I spoke in his language like I had learned today. My voice echoed in the big room. It went silent pretty quickly but I was glad when it broke again.

"You're welcome." He responded. I continued to smile quietly to myself. I relaxed my body and decided to get comfortable tonight. I quickly let my eyes droop and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 3 G

Normally, I awoke with the sunrise. Sleep wasn't a necessity for me. It was a pastime more than anything else. I ended up waking earlier than usual because sleeping on a couch was not anything near to what I was used to. I got up gradually and walked out of the library and down to the bedroom. I peaked open the door and saw Catto relaxed into a deep slumber. At least my decision to sleep elsewhere was not in vain.

I quietly closed the door and went towards my lair. While there may have been serums I could make to help translate tongues, they were difficult to make and only lasted a limited time. To my knowledge, she should only be here for a matter of days, which is still too much to worry about slaving over a serum. I would rather teach her how to speak a few sentences in Hylian and then send her on her way.

I went to one of the many desks of ingredients and books. I skimmed through some spells to see what could be useful, but alas, nothing caught my eye. I decided to list off things I need to collect the next time I went into the city. I figured as I made the list that I may need to pick up some items for the girl to help make her feel comfortable. What do humans need? Were there any books on how to take care of a young human girl?

I knew that humans need sleep, that was an obvious concept. They also need to breathe and have proper clothes. Other than those I wasn't quite sure what else was a necessity. I'm sure as long as I could meet those needs that she will survive. I began to draft a list of items to meet those needs. My understanding of how to take care of a human was minuscule. Demons require very little maintenance besides magical and mental development. Humans are much more dependent on physical development which is extremely materialistic and demanding.

* * *

I became lost in my thoughts as I tried to scavenge my lair for information on humans. I heard the door handle begin to turn and push open. I teleported myself quickly into the hallway. I stood behind Catto as she stuck her meddlesome head into my liar to snoop around. I quickly reached out my arm and pulled her back into the hallway. I leaned forward and used my other hand to close the door. She whipped herself around to glare at me while I stood up tall and stared back.

She looked exhausted for having just slept the night away in my personal bed. She seemed to be lacking the energy or perkiness that I've noticed in most humans. Her stomach rumbled and she pointed to it to communicate to me. I was truly a buffoon. I let my head drop into my hands in agony. I wanted to punch something to let my anguish out. How could I have forgotten to feed her? What was I going to feed her?

I led her back to my quarters and opened the door for her. I had her sit and wait in there for me. As soon as the door closed I let a bit of my temper slip.

"This dumb bitch is just going to leach off of me until I get her back to her family." I marched along the hall and toward my kitchen. I never stocked this kitchen. I had my fine meals in the city when I returned from my outside work. I had servants preparing me every dish in existence, why would I ever need to eat something out here in the woods?

I was quickly rummaging through the cabinets and cupboards. I was disgusted to find various vermins throughout them all. Most of the dishes were sickening and needed cleaning before any food would be served on them. She at least needed something to drink. I found a small mug that had been placed upside down in the cupboard. I almost cried out in joy. It could be the only item that wasn't caked in dust or tiny insect corpses. It had a small chip in it but it would have to do. I was able to fill it with some water and let it sit while I tried to look for food.

A found some stale crackers which are at least a form of substance, as well as some jars of dried figs. I placed them on a separate dish and carried them back down the hall to the girl. When I noticed her, she was sitting in my bed again. Having her eat in my bed was not ideal. The idea of crumbs and spills getting on the linens was something that made my stomach churn.

I handed her the food and with little hesitation, she dug into it all. She was being quite a mess. I understood she might have not eaten in a while, but she was acting as though she didn't know when her next meal might be. It was repulsive. I reached down and yanked the tray away from her. She looked horrified but looked at me with confusion. How could she not understand how inconsiderate she was being? I looked at her and shook my head frustratedly. She rolled her eyes. She reached back over to the tray and took another bite. She sarcastically chewed as slow as possible. How dare she? Have I not been generous?

I reached over to her and release a small flick on her head. I was hoping it would be no more than a pinch to get her back into place. But she yelped louder than I was expecting. Humans certainly are fragile. I needed to learn to be careful. Looking at my hand, I tried to reassure myself that my hand was as harmless as I remembered. She needed more guidance than I was originally thinking. I needed to start small.

I quickly stood up and decided to give her a tour of the abode. I exaggerate everything until she caught on to the message I was portraying. She was certainly intelligent. She was catching on to all of the nouns I was showing her. However, when we reached my lair she was having difficulty with confidence.

"Lair?" She would repeat and I nodded but she still seemed more confused than before. I wanted to let her explore it for a bit so she could better understand. Also, hopefully, she won't get curios later on and destroy something valuable.

She was admiring many items and the architecture. The balcony caught her eyes quickly and she walked towards it. I took the scenario for granted but she seemed so captivated by it. She was captivated by the scene. I kept a cautious eye on her as she looked over the edge. She seemed uncomfortable and nervous. Her body was swaying unsteadily. My stomach clenched in response. I rushed up behind her and hauled her backward. I locked her out and then let her stand on her own. I was leaning against the doors to block her from going back out.

"If falling is a hobby of yours then you are going to be very difficult to care for." I huffed to myself. She was extremely bewildered by my concern and rash reaction. Her astonishment quickly transformed into amusement as she giggled to herself and escalated into a chuckle. She had a large smile, it was wide and welcoming. Her laugh was contagious, and unknowingly I caught myself mimicking her myself. I relaxed after realizing she was no threat to herself or others. So I walked up to her and patted her head gently and guided her out of the room.

I was going to guide us towards the library to get some lessons in but I was interrupted by a slight poke on my arm. I thought it was big at first but when I turn to wipe it away I saw her arm reached out.

"Ghirahim- sleep." She annunciated. I wasn't asleep. I was not asleep, as with how much she slept today I doubt she was asking to go back to bed. She repeated herself while pulling on her shirt. I felt there was a message I was close to cracking, but there was too much of a barrier in our way. I lowered myself to make eye contact. I shook my head comedically.

"No." I pronounced. She repeated herself after me. Once she seemed to have captured the word, I nodded forcefully and taught "Yes." Which she quickly caught onto. I went to teach her an antonym for her other vocabulary word, which I was surprised was useful in her context.

"No- Ghirahim sleep. Catto awake." She expressed. Her pronunciation was very poor but I suppose it is the best she is capable of. I was still unclear on what she was saying. But from the context, I realized she was still in my old shirt and she probably would feel more comfortable in her clothes. I snapped my finger and brought the servant I had given the task of manager her clothes to our situation. He held the satchel with her clothes tight to himself, honestly he probably never let them leave his sight. They get so extremely controlling about the duties I give them. When I turned towards Catto, she was pressed against the wall and trying to avoid the minion. Her breathing was shallow and quick. She was still terrified of them? Amusing. I still rolled my eyes and approached her.

I peeled her shoulders from the wall and braced myself behind her. She leaned into me trying to stay away from the minion as much as possible. She was warm, she was delicate. I felt as though she was a little duckling imprinting itself. I slowly and firmly grasped her shoulders to push her towards her fear, but to also get her off of me. I wasn't interested in a duckling; I was interested in a human.

"Do not let fear prevent progress." I encouraged quietly as she approached the bokoblin. She stood fearfully and waited as he reached into the satchel and brought out the refurbished clothes. She laughed a bit to herself and eased up. Within an instance, she was almost entirely independent in the situation. I never suspected she be so quick to reform judgments. She said some kind words to him and I sent him away. I turned her around gently and her smile greeted me. She never stopped smiling, it was quite irritating, but also a relief. I showed her the basics of manners so she could hopefully master that first. It was probably the most important of her lessons.

I let her go get changed quickly and when she returned I discarded the nightclothes and brought her to the library. Her eyes became so wide with curiosity. She seemed overwhelmed with how many books and scrolls filled the shelves. I pointed for her to sit at one of the sofas. I skimmed some shelves that I knew had some basics and pictures. I had many medicinal books with pictures of plants, it could be overwhelming for her. It was still worth a try. I also brought some paper and a pencil over with me to help draw some lessons.

I approached her on the couch and placed my supplies on the coffee table in front of us. I tried to keep my distance from her so she felt comfortable. I leaned over and began to draw some Hylian lettering on the paper. Once I finished I held up the paper for her to see, I thought I wrote them big enough but she scooted herself closer to me on the sofa so she could squint and read. She was straining herself to understand. I pointed to one of the letters and pronounced it for her. She repeated it for clarification but before I could answer she snatched the paper and pencil from my hands.

"Hey- you don't understand-" I was confused about what she thought she was doing. She clearly didn't understand Hylian, I was doing my best with teaching her the basics of reading. She took the first letter I taught her and scribbled something underneath. "You can read and write in your own language?" I muttered to myself. She used the pencil to point at the next letter which I pronounced for her. She echoed and then wrong some other lettering down.

It was a tedious process. However, we managed to go all the way through the alphabet. With her notes, she was able to read back all of them to me. I laughed in amazement at her intelligence. I had always believed humans were ignorant and uneducated. I haven't been entirely updated on their culture in a while.

I grabbed the pencil and showed it to her. "Pencil." I expressed, she mimicked me and I laughed to myself. I could teach her anything. This girl could be the key to fulfilling my entire mission. However, a part of myself recognized I was not meant to be a parental figure. She was kind and innocent, she did not deserve the life I would bear on her. I needed to teach her basic language fundamentals and return her home. But, until then, she could certainly be of use.

I lost track of everything I was teaching her. Overwhelming her wasn't my goal. So once I realized the light was beginning to dim, I encouraged her to leave the library with me. I needed to get her a chance to bathe and get cleaned up before bed.

I returned her nightclothes to her and let her go back to the bathroom where I gave her some soap, a towel, and began the bath. She seemed nervous. I had a feeling she hadn't had a proper bath in some time. Not just from her smell, but also her reaction to the situation. It seemed confusing for her and she didn't seem to relax as most would. I chose to let her have some time and leave the room to wait for her elsewhere.

When I walked into my room I realized I wasn't going to be sleeping in my bed tonight. She still needed a place to sleep and I know better than to be in the same bed as a human child. I collected some extra pillows and blankets from my room and walked myself down the hall towards the library. I had some memories spark from my childhood that I immediately disregarded.

I went to the couch and attempted to make it as comfortable as I could. My back was going to despise me if I continued to do this. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. The girl didn't need to have another thing to worry about.

I sat on the couch and attempted to come up with a lesson plan for the next few days on some of the paper I left out. I wasn't a teacher, but I wanted to provide her with the tools to reach herself. She was much more educated than I originally anticipate and it was a relief that she was. Perhaps I'll find out just how smart she is.

I stood up to go finish gathering some sleeping supplies. I walked down the hall back to the room and saw Catto comfortably sitting to herself in bed. The bed swallowed her, her small stature was comical compared to the extensive furniture she found herself on. She was smiling- of course, and seemed patiently waiting for me. Her comfort truly blinded her into seeing why this was inappropriate.

"Clothes there." She pointed to her neatly folded outfit at the foot of the bed. I teleported it away while I tiredly rubbed my face.

"I sleep in the library." I sighed. Her face turned from joyous to troubled within a moment. This was not meant to upset her. She shook her head as though she truly thought this was up for discussion.

"No, I sleep in library." She responded with determination. She quickly shot up and out of the bed to try and walk past me. I used my large frame to block the doorway.

"You sleep in the bed," I instructed. She was very humble and independent. I was not expecting her to assert herself so strong so soon. I've never met any being that responded to me in such a way as she.

"You sleep in the bed." She repeated but emphasized the first word so I understood she was giving me an order. Adorable. She aggressively tried to push herself past me but I easily reached out and kept her from exiting. She was like a puppy, trying to fight for its food. She wanted to prove something by doing this, which she already has. I couldn't help but crack my serious persona and smile at her silliness. Catto looked up and saw and then grinned back as though it were contagious.

She defeatedly walked back to her spot in the bed and got comfortable. Pointing to the other side of the bed she repeated, "you sleep in bed." I decided to amuse her for as long as she is awake.

There was a large gap between the two of us in the bed. Probably enough for three or for more persons to lie comfortably. But for me, it felt like those her back was pressed against mine. I was in bed with a human child and my stomach churned. I didn't bother going under the sheets, I knew I was getting up within the night. There was an uncomfortable silence, but I could feel her moving around and trying to check if I was asleep. I continued to give the facade that I was.

She swiftly tried to climb out of the bed and out the door, however, I quickly put her back into the bed before she could escape. She audibly seemed shocked by her instant change in location.

"You sleep in bed," I repeated once again for her. I was not amused but she let out a small giggle. I heard her get comfortable again and she took a deep breath.

"Thank you." She hummed gently. I was surprised. I wasn't sure what she was thanking me for but I felt as those I needed to respond.

"You're welcome," I added. She laughed quietly under her breath and began to take some deep breaths. She was tired. Not after long, she was asleep. I was then able to take her idea and sneak out of my bed and down the hall to the library. I bundled myself up in the blankets on the cushions and tried to settle my mind enough to think about what was going to happen tomorrow when she woke up. She was a fascinating human, and for now, she was my fascinating human.


	6. Chapter 4 C

I woke up energized and ready to start the day. This time, I felt like I had gotten the best sleep of my life. I turned over to see where Ghirahim was, but he wasn’t in the bed. He must have gotten up super early or left to sleep somewhere else in the night.

I swiftly jumped out of bed. My clothes were at the foot of the bed folded and ready to be worn. I took them into the bathroom and cleaned myself up; ready for the day. When I walked out, I didn’t see Ghirahim waiting anywhere for me. I decided to poke my head into the library, but there was just a messy pile of pillows and blankets on the couch. I decided to also poke into his strange magic room but he wasn’t there either. I couldn’t be completely alone right now could I?

My feet were chilly from the cold stone floor, I wanted to get some socks on or something, but I determinedly continued to search. I also wanted to grab something to eat. When I approached the kitchen door a sharp smell of smoke filled my nose. I heard grumbling from inside. I pushed the door open and the room was almost entirely smoked out.

I went into an immediate coughing fit while I tried to fan the dark clouds away. I saw a pair of feet on the other side of the kitchen and I took a deep breath and walked in. The smoke was beginning to thin out now that the door was open. I walked up next to Ghirahim who seemed to be cursing under his breath. I looked down at a dark charred item on his stove and several eggshells cluttered the counters.

“I help.” I laughed while reaching for the pan. He reached his arm out to block me.

“Go to bed.” He instructed in frustration. I reached out my hand and pushed his arm away and grabbed the handle of the pan. I took it over to the large sink basin. There was a small pump and I released some water onto the hot pan and used the spatula to scrape the hard egg remains off the pan. Once it was all clean I went back to the stove and placed the pan back down.

The stove looked like a gas stove and it had some strange knobs to control it. I did my best to turn down the temperature as much as I could. Once the pan was warmed to a proper temperature I pointed to the eggshells.

“Eggs?” Ghirahim asked and I nodded.

“Eggs, please,” I ordered him. He reached into a basket and pulled out two small eggs. I cracked them both onto the pan and they let out a small sizzle. I decided to keep it pretty simple. When done I took the pan off the heat and set it on the counter. Ghirahim took out a plate from the cabinet. I shook my head.

“Two,” I told him. He was a bit surprised, but he grabbed another plate. I put one egg on each plate and then handed him his. We stood at the counter for a moment and then he scrimmaged around and pulled out two forks. We ate breakfast together and while we did he taught me words for simple ingredients, utensils, and items. I certainly wasn’t a chef, but I felt like I was one at that moment.

I took the dishes from the two of us when we were done and left them to soak in the sink. He stood up and tried to help but I insisted and he backed away.

“Thank you.” He said with a slight bow. I smiled in response. “Library.” He kindly gestured for me to head out in front of him. I decided to mess with him a bit and took off into a sprint. I saw his face flash from amusement to concern as he chased after me. I had gotten enough ahead that I busted through the library doors and jumped onto the couch and bundled myself in the blanket that was there. A few seconds later he slowed down to a jog and looked at me with so much confusion. He wanted there to be a reason for what just happened, but I just want to keep testing the waters to see how he reacts to things. I began to laugh hysterically at his face. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, he didn’t know what to do, and my laughing just made him more upset.

He grumbled and snapped at me but I didn’t understand what he said. He repeated it but I still didn’t know. He rolled his head dramatically and then came to sit next to me. He began to help me start reading and forming a variety of sentences. I worked hard to absorb as much as I could. I had trouble learning Spanish in elementary school, but I never really needed it to communicate my basic needs in Spanish. Right now, learning this language was my only way to truly communicate. I was surrounded by it.

“What is your name?” Ghirahim asked slowly. And I understood him. This would have made our initial introduction much easier.

“My name is Catto,” I answered back. “What is your name?”

“My name is...” he stopped himself for a moment. “Demon Lord Ghirahim.” He finished. I cocked my head confused. He didn’t add that title the first time I met him, then again, I didn’t understand his title the first time I met him.

“So, Ghirahim?” I clarified. He shook his head.

“ _Lord_ Ghirahim.” He emphasized the prefix. I shook my head and laughed.

“Ghirahim,” I repeated. He sighed in defeat.

“How old are you?” He quizzed. I quickly referred to my notes that showed the numbers and I referred to it for my answer.

“I am fourteen.” I smiled. His face dropped and became flushed by my answer. I guess this was the first time he heard my age.

“Fourteen?” He asked again. I shook happily. I didn’t understand what his issue was. I probably looked a lot older than that.

“I will be fifteen... uhh” I got stuck from sentence structure. I looked at him for help and kept glimpsing at my notes.

“In.” He guided me.

“In five-“

“Months,”

“Months.” I grinned as I finished my complex statement.

“Good. Where are you from?” He tried to move on but I shook my head violently.

“No! No no! My turn.” I insisted. “How old are you?” His face fell into his hands. I was awaiting his answer.

“Six hundred and thirty-nine.” He said with a straight face. I tried to hold in my laughs a bit but then I realized how serious he was being. It made sense too. He wasn’t human, maybe he was that old. He just seemed like a young adult. “But, in a way, I’m nineteen. Too many words to explain.” That made a lot more sense. “Now, where are you from?”

“Chicago, Illinois.” He looked overwhelmed by that statement. “In the United States of America.” He was so baffled by my answer that he just... ignored it?

“In Skyloft?” He asked.

“Where?” I responded.

“The sky?”

“I fell from the sky,” I answered. We were both looking for different responses.

“You live in the sky?”

“No.”

“In Faron?”

“Where?”

“In Lanayru?”

“What?”

“Eldin?”

“No idea.” I wasn’t getting what he was saying. He took my hand and stood us up to the window in the library. He pointed vaguely in varying directions. “Lanayru, Eldin, or-“ he paused to point down indicating where we are now. “-Faron?”

“No,” I answered. He rolled his eyes.

“Then Skyloft?” He pointed to the bright blue sky.

“I fell from sky.” I was getting very rusty without my notes on me. He was getting upset by my answers but I didn’t understand where any of these places were. I was already aware I was in a foreign land. He wasn’t getting that I wasn't from his worth though. I grabbed his hand and quickly rushed him back out of the library and down the hall. I brought him to the bathroom. He jerked his hand from mine and didn’t enter the bathroom with me.

“What is this?” He demanded. I groaned loudly. I pointed at the mirror. I needed him to help me translate my thoughts.

“Mirror.” He said in his tongue, so I responded the best I could.

“I fell through mirror. The mirror was in library. The mirror brought me to the sky. I fell from sky to lake.” I crossed my arms. Waiting for him to comprehend.

“Where was library?” He asked. I shrugged. He then took my arm and dragged us back to the actual library again and sat me on the couch. He ran and climbed one of the ladders and pulled out a large book.

“This is a map.” He explained as he sat next to me on the couch to show me. I saw a very large and united continent with many different lands within it. This was no place in my world. He still wasn’t understanding

“No.” I closed the book in his hand. I grabbed a piece of paper and began to draw. I wasn’t the best cartographer, but it was a rough outline of the United States. I made a small star where Illinois would be. His face lit up with understanding. I finally got through to him but he didn’t seem thrilled.

“Where is your family?” He asked concerned. I suppose he thinks they are missing me or I’m missing them since we are a world away now. He was wrong. I just smiled quietly assuring him I was alright.

“Where is your family?” I threw back at him. He wasn’t expecting that one.

“Answer me first.” He insisted.

“Dead.” I lied. Of course, I was lying, and he knew I was. I made it so obvious. I know I was beginning to trust him but he doesn’t need to know about my family life. Before he could question further, I threw his question at him again. “Where is your family?” I was well aware that someone like him probably didn’t want to talk about family just as much as I didn’t want to.

“Lessons are over.” He grumbled and threw the book down onto the couch and walked out promptly. He was really defensive. At least I answered, not truthfully, but still answered. He just completely ran away. And I was left feeling bad for asking.

I didn’t have the knowledge or foundations to have a meaningful conversation with him about his feelings. So I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go after him or not. I just sat there quietly. It didn’t seem right. I knew I had to do something, I needed to bring myself to the point of saying something to him that would convey my feelings.

I stood up and quietly walked down the hall. I wasn’t wearing shoes so my feet were silent on the smooth marble ground. I approached the bedroom doors. I realized I couldn’t go in there empty-handed so I turned and rushed towards the front entrance of the house. I was able to quietly open the door and peek outside. It was my first time outside since I had got here. I was going far. I just was looking for something.

I carefully skimmed the front yard area. There wasn’t much but I saw a small patch of wildflowers mixed in with the grass. I went over and picked a few. I began to tie and twist the stems together. When I was finished I hopped back inside the house. I held my childish gift in my hand behind my back.

I felt a bit accomplished by sneaking out and back into the house successfully. It reassured me that I was in control of my environment, but I still knew I was safe here.

I approached the bedroom door and pushed it open so I could slip inside. I closed it quietly behind me. To my surprise, Ghirahim was sitting to himself on the edge of the bed and writing in a journal.

“I am sorry,” I spoke up as I walked over to stand in front of him. He refused to look up at me. But him sitting on the bed helped keep us at equal height. “Families are... difficult,” I added. He still didn’t give me any response. I pulled out my small gift and slowly set it on his head.

His hair wasn’t like any normal hair. It was a solid piece of metal like the rest of his body, but as I set the flower tiara on his head, it felt as intimate as doing it to a close friend or relative. He looked up once I had finished and stared me in the eyes. I didn’t smile at him, I just gazed back and hoped he could read the message I was trying to send without words. He reached up and felt the tiara and took it off to look at it.

“I am not a girl.” He grumbled and dropped it back into my hands. I didn’t realize that his words would hurt so much. I thought I had done enough to show him my feelings. I wanted to give him something that made him comfortable with me. Something that showed him I was here, even if his family isn’t. It wasn’t enough.

I was speechless and stared at the tiara. I was stupid. He’s a grown man, he doesn’t want some childish flower tiara. I took it and threw it on the ground. The loose knots came undone and the small petals fell apart onto the ground. I stomped on it and marched out.

This time I wasn’t going to be dumb. I was going to get him something he would enjoy. So with some more determination, I marched back outside. I skimmed the hard and grabbed a large long stick. I brought it back inside. In the kitchen, I grabbed an old knife and began to sharpen the stick to a point. I intended to make a cool spear, but the knife was dull and bent. So after a few uses, I ended up quickly missing and slicing a large slash into my hand.

The blood was fast and warm. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t go ask him for help when he was mad at me. I was trying to make him a present. I walked over to the sink and ran some water over it to rinse off the blood. I looked around and an old rag hung from over the counter. I tore it into a long strip and tied it tightly around my hand. It was quickly becoming discolored from my blood, but it was enough to keep it in its place.

I broke the stick into a much smaller piece. I took a better knife and whittled the smaller stick. I picked out a few small holes and tested it out. Maybe this would be a little cooler than a flower tiara. I busted the door open with a bit more dominance and I could tell he was annoyed with that. Regardless, I marched over and handed him the small piece of wood I carved. He took it and examined it. He pressed the small mouthpiece against his lips and blew. The hushed whistle tweeted as he pressed a few fingers against the three holes and played some notes.

He laughed a little at the noise it made. It wasn’t much, but it was honest work. He grinned to himself and looked up at me. I saw his face pause at my closed fist that was wrapped. He turned and grabbed my flower tiara from next to him and placed it on my head and my cheeks went red as I tried to hold back my wide toothy grin.

“Here.” He said as he stood up and opened a drawer in his dresser. There were many old journals, but a dusty newer one looked like it was waiting to be opened. He handed it to me with the pencil he was holding before. My face brightened. I wanted to journal everything I was going through now, in case it’s a dream and I don’t remember. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update. School and personal life needed to come first for a hot minute. Thank you for all the reads. It means a lot. If you want to show any support, please give a kudos and leave a comment. It's easy, quick, and free!   
> \- Iris  
> THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS  
> JustAFemaleGeek


	7. Chapter 5 C

“Now, I will only be gone for a few days. Please behave and if there is an emergency, use this.” Ghirahim pulled out a small red crystal. “You’ll need to break it. You can throw it, snap it, whatever you must do. Only in an emergency though.”

I nodded and took it from him. I wasn’t sure why he was leaving but he said he had some important business. I couldn’t always expect him to be caring for me every day. He had been helping me for the last several weeks. He gave me continuous language lessons, fresh food, clothing, and a place to sleep. He had been continuously sleeping in the library regardless of what I said. I felt so bad, it was getting to his head. He was slowly getting more irritable. He just refused to let me sleep in the library instead of him. I felt like I trusted him much sooner than he trusted me. Was that good? With him being gone, it was my first chance to prove to him I can handle being by myself.

“When will you be back?” I asked anxiously. My Hylian had gotten better over the last few weeks as well. Constantly speaking and listening to a language certainly speeds up the learning process. I had a better cultural understanding of the world I was living in too. Of course, I was still not fluent and I was still confused by so much in this world, yet I was doing my best with the skills I had.

“I’m not entirely sure, but hopefully in three days. If you need food or water or any extra help you can always yell outside to the nearest Bokoblin to assist you. They might be some bumbling fools but they will at least attempt to follow your orders.”

I smiled wide and nodded. I was excited to have some time to myself. It was back to the good old days. I also had so many plans for what to do on my own. I began to get lost in thoughts until two hands clapped in my face for attention.

“Hello? I’m leaving now.” Ghirahim sassed. I rolled my eyes. What would he want me to do? Hug him or beg him not to leave? That wasn’t going to happen, even if I would miss him. I only give hugs and affection on my own accord and that’s that. He didn’t deserve it on command.

“Peace out.” I saluted him and began to walk away. I wanted to pretend I did not care very much.

“Peace out? Where did you learn that?” He asked. I laughed a bit. I supposed it didn’t translate well.

“It means goodbye. It's a term from my language. It’s what I say.” I shrugged.

“Well, in this house we say goodbye properly. So goodbye.” He grumbled to himself. He turned to walk out the front door and I watched him quietly. He probably thought I was being disrespectful or something.

“Have a safe trip!” I hollered after him. He turned back and smirked at me until I followed up with another, “Peace out!” He glared at me again but I closed the door and locked it. I made a loud squeal of excitement. I was home by myself! I ran down the hall and into the bedroom where I flew across the room onto the bed. I jumped around and messed up all the pillows and blankets to my liking. Once I wore myself out there I took off into another energetic run to the library. I decided to take down all the books Ghirahim told me I couldn’t or shouldn’t read and made a pile. I was going to get through them as much as I could. It was going to help me learn Hylian and improve my knowledge.

I stuffed my face in the books for as long as possible. I kept a dictionary nearby and made lists of words I wanted to look up. Often, I found myself writing down words from the definitions of other words. Regardless of how long it took, my reading was improving and I was learning a lot in language and general information.

I finished my first book which was about the diversity of creatures throughout Faron. I was beginning my second book which seemed like a history book, something about a prophecy and "Great War". I had much more trouble with that book. It got to the point that my eyes were hurting from straining so long. I enjoyed reading so much, but it certainly wore me out. The natural light was leaving the room and I still needed to eat and get ready for bed. I stood up and I saw some of the setting light glisten over the reflective grand piano in the room. I resisted the urge and left the room, walking into the kitchen.

I grabbed a plate and I took some wild onions, wild mushrooms, and some chopped herbs. I placed them in a frying pan and placed it over the stove. I had minimal ingredients because everything had to be obtainable by the bokoblins. It was still better than nothing. I grabbed a couple of small bird eggs and cracked them in the hot pan. I was pretty tired of eggs since that was the most I was capable of getting outside of wild veggies. I felt like I could get much better ingredients on my own.

I finished cooking and eating my eggs before I began to head towards the bedroom. I was tired but I still had a part of the book that I wanted to finish. I made a pitstop at the library and grabbed the history book. I enjoyed learning about this world and its magical history. It was way more interesting than the history in my world. I knew that I couldn’t completely comprehend everything about this world yet, but it might be best to try.

When I opened the door to the bedroom I had a moment of disbelief. A month ago, I was begging for food outside convenience stores and running from CPS. I was trying to prove to everyone I could find something right for me on my own. I was tired of following a system. Right now, not only am I living with a roof over my head, but I’m living a life of luxury. I have the luxury of laying in a bed at night reading a book. I have the luxury of walking down the hall and grabbing food whenever I want. But how long would this last? Ghirahim wouldn’t keep me forever, would he? Would I even want to stay here forever? I have never been able to stay in one place for too long, how would I adjust?

I took some steps in and I lit a lamp next to my bed. I placed the book down and contemplated my life some more. I slowly eased myself into reading again and taking notes on the words I needed to look up and continue. I’m sure with all this I could become fluent in no time.

It was getting later and later. I wish clocks were as abundant here as my world. Otherwise, I would have remembered to close my books and move them out of my way before it got too late. Instead, I fell asleep and was left with strange lines pressed into my arms and face when I woke up in the morning.

I slowly stood up and my stomach growled again for breakfast. I decided to indulge in some crackers with nuts. There were a large variety of nuts and I didn’t recognize any of them. It was interesting how some foods were consistent and others weren’t. I feel as though there were more similarities than differences.

I went back to the library and continued my studies. It was the only thing I had to do. It was quite entertaining but my head would have headaches fade in and out. I enjoyed learning, but it was increasingly mentally exhausting. After I got bored, I glanced over that the piano, it seemed like it needed a tune. It had a slightly matted appearance from the thin layer of dust collected over its white glaze. I peeled my eyes away and walked back into the hall.

I was home alone, which meant I could do anything I wanted and be as nosey as I wanted. So I approached the doors to Ghirahim’s “evil lair” whatever he decided to called it and opened the doors. Half of me was expecting them to be locked, which made me pleasantly surprised when they weren’t. I quickly ran in and began touching everything. I was careful not to break anything, or make it too noticeable that I was rummaging. I knew that he would be upset if he found out I was acting out like this. It was easy though because he left everything a mess. I was able to glance over several open books and sprawled out papers. I studied the jars of various potions and ingredients. As interesting as it was, I knew it wasn’t my thing. I found many of the readings too difficult or confusing for my understanding. And having to touch frog legs or dead locusts was not appealing to me.

What _was_ appealing, was the beautiful balcony I got to see before. This time, I could enjoy it uninterrupted. I treaded carefully to the doors and pulled them open. The breeze was a bit stronger than I was expecting. I gripped the railing and looked out to the cliffs, trees, and outlet of water far below. How could I ever get tired of a view like this? This was all I needed to be entertained for hours. As beautiful as it was, my stomach was twisting and turning at the sight. I swallowed what I could to try and deal with it, I turned around and leaned my back on the rail to calm myself down. I looked up at the manor. The stones that lined the outside were old and jagged. It gave a nice aesthetic, but it seemed useful for another reason. I felt my pockets to see if I had the crystal I was given by Ghirahim. I did not. And I had no clue where I would have put it. I decided I was ready to take the risk anyway. I hoisted myself up to the railing and stood up holding the stone of the arch around the door. My body was trembling and my adrenaline was surging my body with absolute terror. My fight or flight was being questioned. With some large steps, I climbed up to the roof quickly. The roof was not very steep and easy to walk on. Most of it was lined with rocks and gravel. I was able to explore around and I ended up sitting right above the front porch. I got a clear and amazing view of the great tree. I could easily fall asleep like this. But instead, I tried to think about what Ghirahim was up to right then.

Ghirahim had an important job. I was sure he was up to some busy important tasks. I couldn’t help but think he was like a president somewhere with a lot of paperwork and publicity. Yet again, why did he live so far away from other people? Why was he so alone? I trusted him so easily, I should’ve been more careful when settling into the house of a stranger. Something about him made me feel like I already knew him like I already met him. But I don’t know jack about who he is. He avoided my questions about his personal life. And I decided I wasn’t going to open up anymore until he does. He won’t be getting any answers until I get some.

I carefully climbed back down to the balcony. It was something I could certainly get used to. I enjoyed the adventure that everything in this world brought. I closed the doors to the balcony and exited the lair. The remainder of the day continued as yesterday. I had books to read and food to eat.

Tucking myself into bed that night was a rough and tedious challenge. I was officially lonely. I was going to be waiting anxiously for Ghirahim to come back tomorrow. I was interested in hearing what he did. I also felt like I learned way more than he originally thought I could, so my language skills might even impress him. Regardless, finding a way to lull me to sleep took several hours. I tried reading, changing positions, or counting down from a high number. Eventually, I ended up dozing off.

I woke up without any sort of reservation. I was ready to wake up, Ghirahim was coming home today. I was so excited to not be alone anymore. It felt like after years of being by myself that I finally had a solid friend I wanted to take advantage of while I had him. I needed to do something for him; I needed to show him I appreciated him.

I flung myself out of bed and began to look around for clutter. Any stray dish or cup I began to grab and run it down to the kitchen sink. I was going to clean everything I could and if I could, I’d find something else I could do for him.

I was running off of pure adrenaline. I convinced myself this was the most urgent task to do at the moment. I felt excited, anxious, and focused. Hours went by organizing and tweaking things here and there. I had a drive like I haven’t seen in myself in a while. It was something that couldn’t be broken except for one thing...

That piano sparkling with sunlight called to me as I was exiting the library from putting the last of my books away. It was elegant and something I always dreamed of running my fingers over. It felt like I was grabbed by the wrists and being slowly pulled towards it. I found myself seated and in a ready position. And I played. I played songs I didn’t think I would have remembered after not practicing for so long. While only a few keys were out of tune, the rest sang to me. It was a whole different dimension of emotion that I was feeling. Unfortunately, that emotion shattered as I made eye contact with a warped face in the reflection of the instrument. I jumped up and twisted around. I leaned back and accidentally played many keys with my palms in response to getting caught red-handed. I felt like I was just witnessed having a secret affair.

Ghirahim cocked his head to the side in confusion. He didn’t have an expression I felt like I could read. While he didn’t seem angry, he also looked shocked at the sight before him.

“You play?” He asked calmly.

“That’s a bit of a rhetorical question isn’t it?” I shrugged embarrassed.

“You learned ‘rhetorical’ from teaching yourself while I was gone, yes?” He added. I nodded. “you did not teach yourself how to do that,” he nodded toward the piano, “in three days.”

“I already knew,” I answered him, truthfully.

“That is clear.” He took some steps closer to the door and waved for me to follow. “Let me show you your bedroom.” He walked into his lair and he took a deep breath. Holding out his hands, objects began to fly and move all around the room. I felt like I was witnessing a movie scene. It was so cool seeing how powerful he was. Furniture was emptied and moved and then teleported away until the whole room was it’s own empty and barren shell. I didn’t understand what he was doing. He waved me again and we walked quickly towards the front door of the house. Many bokoblins were carrying new furniture pieces and stumbling over themselves while trying to walk in. Ghirahim hated many of them being in the house at once, why was he having them do all this? I was unsure until I noticed a very distinguishable piece of furniture.

“Is that all for me?” I pointed and tried to contain myself. It had been so long since I had my own bed and never was it a whole queen bed for myself. I was shaking, all my cleaning was useless now. I was so in debt to him, I’d have to make it up to him.

“Yes, I got this all from the city.” He chuckled while crossing his arms. “I want to sleep in my bed again.” I dropped my head in frustration. He widened his eyes confused by my reaction.

“I cleaned the house to be nice.” I groaned and kicked the wall gently.

“Well that’s quite...” he said a word I didn’t know and looked at him in confusion. He signed once he realized he needed to define it. “You don’t care about what I’m doing for you. You think I’m just making a mess.” I shook my head rapidly in disagreement.

“No-no-no that’s not what I meant!” I yelped. I looked at all the many more furniture items being carried into the room but I noticed something different from the rest. Everything was wooden furniture except for one painted canvas chest that was being carried by two bokoblins. I ran up and tapped them so they stopped their progress. I had them open and up and it was filled with clothes, and not just any clothes, a variety of beautiful outfits and all clearly in my size. My eyes watered up a bit but I kept my face away from Ghirahim so he wouldn’t notice. I didn’t let any escape but I whipped around and ran towards him. He looked scared at first but I just opened my arms and squeezed him tight. He wasn’t comfortable to hug in the slightest, regadless, I squeezed his large metal body against mine. I realized he was wearing clothes, I thought something was different about him, but he had never worn clothes around me before.

“I’m not upset, I just don’t know what else I can do to repay you.” I huffed, but he pushed me away pretty violently. I fell on my ass and stared up at him.

“How about you start by never doing that again.” He growled down at me. I tried not to let it bother me but it did. I just silently followed some bokoblins into my new room. My bed was finished being put together. The room was filled with bokoblins, but they slowly made their way out of the room until I found myself alone.

I was silent. It didn’t feel real. I had a big bed and clothes and a desk. I had my own room for the first time in my life. Was this a sign I was going to be living here? How was I supposed to eventually leave if he makes it so comfortable to stay?

My bed was placed at the center of the room and on either side of the headboard, there were two nightstands with lamps. I walked up to the bed and sat down slowly. It wasn’t nearly as comfy as Ghirahim’s bed. But it was still a very comfortable bed.

“I’m happy that you are grateful,” Ghirahim said as he walked in. He handed me my journal. “You left this in my room.” I took it from him.

“Thank you, so much. I’ve never had this much in my life.” I confessed.

“Yes, I’ve noticed, which makes me...” he said another word I couldn’t understand. I suddenly realized I still have a while until I was fluent in this language.

“I didn’t under-“ I began but he cut me off.

“For an orphan girl who grew up with nothing, I can’t help but wonder how you would know how to play piano so professionally. Or...” he opened one of his hands and held the little whistle I carved him. “Had the knowledge to create something like this.” He was being very ominous with everything he was saying and I began to feel uncomfortable.

“It is strange. I just... have a talent.” I answered. He stared into my eyes deeply without saying a word. He took a step closer to me and crouched down to be very close to my face.

“I want to be very clear. Now that language is no longer becoming an ...., I will find out everything about you and there is not much you can do to stop it. So if you have secrets you want to keep ..., I would start forming your little lies now. And make them more .... because I won’t be having you believe you are ... in my own home.” He looked sinister. And even though my comprehension was going in and out as he spoke, I understood the intensity of the message. I nodded slowly. Something must have happened over the past three days, he just seemed so tense now. I hoped he wasn’t going to stay like this for long. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with me over such a crazy few weeks. Finals are over and the holidays are almost done so I am glad that I can get back to writing. This is the first part of Chapter 5, there is a Ghirahim perspective, that is the chapter that is insanely long. I am almost finished writing and proofing that, so it will be up shortly. You are all the best. Please continue to read, comment, and kudos the story because it definitely helps support me a lot. 


	8. Chapter 5 G

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start off with a very important message. This is a reminder that this is a very different story than The Days That Came. Please make sure you have a thorough understanding of the tags of this story. I am not someone who enjoys writing smut and am not particularly interested in ever writing it. BUUUTTT foreplay and heavily sexual scenes do play a large role in developing the scenarios and relationships that I write for the sake of the story and the characters being presented. This chapter only has maybe one or two things in it. BUT DARKER THEMES DO COME INTO PLAY LATER IN THIS BOOK SO BE WARNED NOW. As for sexual themes, those are just going to pop up whenever, I'm sorry if that's not the story you wanted, but it's not smut... You'll see what I mean.
> 
> I will put trigger warnings at the beginning of chapters that need them. However, things will not start to get too intense until much later in the book. So for now, please enjoy this chapter
> 
> Don't Trust Me - 3OH!3

I waved goodbye to Catto. This being the first time leaving her alone made me excruciatingly nervous. I prayed in hopes to not come back to her dead body lying in my bed. I hoped there was plenty of food, water, and security to keep her safe for the time I was gone.

I needed to go to the Demon City, which wasn't unusual because being a leader of my people it was my duty to make decisions and come back to assist them every so often. Not just that but I needed to pick some things up and run some minor errands.

I teleported away from the front of the property and landed amid Lanayru desert. The warm sun soothed my body. The heat was incredible and much more extreme than Faron. Regardless, I was quick to remember the pain of sand itching and scratching through the wind and against my feet. It's a torture device the gods made to keep us demons at bay in our most prime location.

I peered up at the disguised entrance and placed my hand against the sandstone wall to summon the gate. The rock crumbled and shifted away to reveal the familiar ancient engravings and architecture. Pressing forward I walked through the long and dark corridor that beckoned me to enter my city. On the other side, I entered the threshold temple and the guards bowed to greet me.

"My lord, you are earlier than expected, would you like for us to send for an escort?" He spoke boldly and respectfully. I shook my head.

"I believe I will skip the paraded entrance this time and pop in for a surprise visit in the main hall." I eased for him to look up and relax. "I appreciate the question as always."

I had the doors open wide for me to peek down at the beautiful populated scene before me. But before getting too distracted I used my magic and went to the main hall in the City Center. I found myself comfortable in my thrown and waited for the chaotic and populated mess of people before me to realize my presence. It was amusing to watch them scramble trying to prepare for my return.

"We need someone in the dining facility to request that- My lord!" A face snapped over to look at me and then he quickly dropped to his knees in worship. The rest of the hall quickly followed suit. I held out my hand for them to rise in my presence, no need to keep them waiting long.

"You're early, my lord." A familiar voice huffed behind me. I turned to see my old friend Darmon standing behind me looking a bit perturbed by my unannounced arrival. "I see you're making it all the more difficult to uphold traditions."

"I supposed I have more important things on my agenda than to be bothered by extravagant meals and welcoming ceremonies." I egged with enthusiasm in hopes he would lighten up in spirits. I turned to the poor worker who was stunned by my arrival. I dismissed him and then sat back down in my thrown. Darmon raised his brow at me.

"May I ask what might be so important on your agenda that you couldn't sacrifice the few hours and decency to follow through with pre-arranged plans? Why are these plans so important that they were not discussed before you left your last visit?" Darmon was visibly distressed. If he had not grown up beside me I would take his harsh tone as disrespectful, but as my head advisor and oldest friend, I felt guilty for aggravated him so. I knew him well, we were often mistaken as brothers for how close we were. We were of similar height and stature, though he was of a common copper complexion and I was of the dark obsidian. My master helped train and raise Darmon as he did me, but I had my destiny and calling and Darmon had his. My master saw him as a great leader and war strategist. "Besides, you took a much longer time returning for this session. The people need to know that you are still a ruler and figure they can rely on while they are in your absence."

"Darmon, I apologize for the changes. I will be happy to discuss this all with you tonight-" I began but he abruptly interrupted.

"At the main hall dinner with all the council members?" He reminded.

"Actually yes, I would be ecstatic to share it with you _and_ the entire council tonight at the dinner." I shifted my seating posture to swing my legs over armrests and looked at him lazily.

"Perfect, but before then could you return to etiquette courses and remind yourself on how to sit up properly." He growled at me. He was certainly on edge, perhaps he missed me? He was right. I almost couldn't remember where I learned how to sit like that. However, Catto would always be so improper around me, she would sit this way all the time during our study time. I promptly maneuvered and nodded towards him.

"What time is dinner?" I asked him in a more mature voice.

"It begins at dusk. It's formal attire, which I'm sure you have some of in your wardrobe. You will just need to actually wear it." He truly was tearing me apart every way he could. Who knew I could be so wrong by being early? I walked up to Darmon and patted him on his shoulder.

"I can follow your suggestions and do as you wish on a single condition." I bargained. He knew what this entailed and groaned loudly.

"I can ease up on the criticisms. Just don't keep testing me." He warned. I giggled in amusement.

"Now what would be the fun in that?" I nudged him and then shaped my fingers to appear in my room.

In my room, I had my large bed and elegant windows as I liked. There were little distractions. It had dark grey and black color tones throughout. I could tell that it has been kept to the highest standard of clean and has been maintained diligently.

I looked out onto the crowded streets. Small insect-like people roamed around while some flickered in and out with teleportation. I could easily watch the scene all day. Whenever I was here I felt comfortable, I felt proud, but most of all I felt wanted. I wouldn't ever admit this to anyone but my master raised me... independent. It would distract from the mission and I wholeheartedly agree, nevertheless, it's nice to feel as though one can be needed and care for despite that. I can easily rely on those I trust but not to an extent to sacrifice my mission. But feeling needed, that was a feeling that was so comforting.

I walked toward one of my grand wardrobes and flicked through the outfits. I found a dark suit with a satin cape that was draped over my shoulders for status. I felt dignified and well-dressed. Perhaps all the issues I've caused today will be reconciled because of my appearance and impression.

People were going to want to know what I have been doing in Faron. They are going to want to know the progress I made, what I have done, and what I plan to do next. And frustratingly, I have little to present to them.

I was chosen for this position, for a good reason, they should have no reason to question my authority. But when I am absent and leaving consistently to prepare for the return of my master and their king, I do not blame those who may feel like I could be avoiding my duties as their lord and taking advantage of my position.

I began to waste some time and walk myself down several flights of stairs and exploring each floor. I was glad to see the familiar faces. Though, names escaped me more than usual. Perhaps I needed to pay greater attention to those on the mid-ranged levels. I typically stay either towards the bottom levels which maintain and hold visitations and the events, or I will skip past them for my suite at that top.

I continued to find small conversations with many of the workers and refreshed myself with much of the center. Regrettably, I ran back into Darmon who was walking some elite representatives for the demons. I wasn't sure their positions exactly but based on their clothes they seemed near royalty. They all stopped walking quickly once they saw me and then genuflecting to humble themselves. I quickly waved them to stand and continue as they were.

"My lord, what are you doing out of your chambers so soon before the dinner?" Darmon asked with a hint of outrage hidden in his tone.

" I had gotten ready so quickly I decided to take a stroll of the center and greet everyone I have yet to see," I explained. Darmon wasn't thrilled by that answer.

"Well, you can certainly just see everyone at dinner tonight." He dismissed. He shot me a glance while he continued to usher the guests past me. I bowed in the spect. I took one of the ladies' hand and kissed it gently. She let out an excited laugh and held her hand like a relic; close to her heart. They all quickly turned a corner and disappeared.

I was feeling a bit neglected. There was nothing more for me to do. If I couldn't walk around the center and I couldn't go outside, what was there to keep me entertained? Why was Darmon so uptight about the formality of everything? I was going to find out and confront him, but I needed him away from work for five minutes to do so.

Once the dinner finally arrived, I was escorted in and applause filled the air. I smiled and waved to everyone around me. The main hall was lined with many large tables that stretched all through the room. At the end of the hall, there was a lifted platform with a large semicircular table. Another thrown was in apex waiting for me and the rest of the council stood at their seats around it.

I stood in front of my thrown and the applause continued to praise me until I gave signals for it to stop. Darmon sat on my right and my left was another old friend named Sidius Mundray. He and his family play a large role in our justice system. Sidius himself was in charge of maintaining and running our delinquent and servitude program which provided parole and work for those who have been irrational enough to break the law. He was a lot more light-hearted than Darmon.

I noticed there was much anticipation from those in the room. They were waiting for me to speak. So I took the opportunity to say a few words for inspiration and encouragement.

"The goddess has been reborn into flesh. The hero's spirit lives among her in the sky. We are all aware of this hope. Our king is so close to returning to us. I long for the day that I am no longer the center of this feast, but sitting at his right and letting him take back the surface world for ourselves! Victory is on the horizon, so feast! We have much to prepare for." I took my chalice and raised it for a toast and the hall followed suit. I looked over to Darmon who was rolling his eyes as he began to pile his plate with food.

"It worked, did it not?" I grumbled at him.

"I supposed it did." He sighed.

"If my opinion is of any value, I believed it was good, but could use some work." Sidius bumped me with his arm and began to gather food onto his plate.

"My lord, very incredible words." A council member spoke to me. "We have known of the goddess's rebirth, but we are very interested to hear how you have been preparing for her descent below the clouds?"

"Well, that is an excellent question." I grinned while trying to preparing a mental list of anything I could claim as a victory. "My troops and I have been laying siege on Faron and attempting to conquer the entire land so when the goddess descends she will have no allies and nowhere to hide."

"That's wonderful and all, but that has been the plan for the last several years. That is what you went out to Faron initially to do." Darmon added with a large amount of distaste in his voice. I turned my head to glare at him. Sidius quickly added in to try and calm the flames between us.

"Now now, my lord, I know you've been working hard on many different plans while in Faron. You tell me about them almost every day. I'm sure you're keeping yourself busy out there."

"That is right, there is honestly so much to tell." I agreed in an emphasizing tone. "In fact, there has been so much, I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, at least tell us something!" Darmon added, he was really trying to dig me into a hole in front of the council. One of the other council members shook her head in agreement. "Talk our ears off! You're our lord! We set up a whole dinner for you to discuss your progress with us!"

"My lord, at least tell us your favorite accomplishment over the last year." She kindly addressed me. I took a deep breath. Eyes were awaiting my response. I swore on my soul that I would be speaking with Darmon before the night comes to its end. I was breathing heavy and trying to find a way to buy myself more time.

"Of course I have a favorite." I teased back to the councilwoman who blushed at my response. "However, I would prefer to discuss it after I have a little more to eat and a _lot_ more to drink." I chuckled. The other members laughed along. The only one who didn't was Darmon sitting sternly next to me.

"Take some time, besides I have news to share," Sidius whispered close to me. Everyone began to resume their small chats and eating. I took bites throughout the conversation. "We have a new group of servants that entered just this past week. They were all very understanding and trained very well. I was confident enough to let them serve here tonight. If you see some unfamiliar faces I encourage you to introduce yourself because many were quite nervous about being here tonight."

"You're saying this to the man who barely acted impressed to see Madam Pontour and her siblings being toured around the center today." Interrupted Darmon who I wasn't expecting to be eavesdropping so easily.

"That is a bit disappointing to hear, but he hasn't been back for a whole year. He has his plate full." Sidius defended. Darmon quickly finished arguing. "Speaking of finishing plates-" he turned to snap his fingers at one of the servants behind us. A young male who looked as though he was going to combust from all the stress pouring off of him, stepped up shakily.

"My-m-my lord, may I take your plate?" He quivered.

"Son, please stop acting like our lord is going to strike you down, he is an honorable man! Introduce yourself!" Sidius encouraged. This boy was terrified of me.

"I-I am Grondol. I am from the north of the city."

"It is an honor to meet you Grondol, while my face pops in and out of the center, I will continue to be your ever serving lord as you are an ever serving citizen. " I eased. He began to calm down and smiled at me. "You may take my plate, just promise you won't be dropping it from the shakes you displayed before." I joked. I could tell that it bothered him a bit, but he took my plate and scuffled away. He would just have to learn to grow some tougher skin in the future. I leaned over to whisper more with Sidius.

"He is eighty-eight, he attempted to use his magic to spy on the girl he loved. Of course, it was still an invasion of her privacy, he ended up seeing her sleeping with her boss from the local tailor shop. He was caught when he tried to kill himself. We stripped him of his powers and he is under constant watch."

"He is so young, shows that maturity truly comes with age." I raised my cup and clinked it to Sidius. I drank the contents quickly. Sidius drank his and then waved for another servant. Another demon came up and held her pitcher of wine.

"My lord would you like me to refill your chalice?" She bowed and then waited for my response.

"How polite? Of course, and if you could, don't let it get empty for me, I will need a lot to get through tonight." She smiled a wide grin, it reminded me of how Catto smiled. She had a very fair rose-gold skin and was very petite for a demon.

"My lord, I will use this pitcher only for you during the rest of the night." She hummed as she leaned over and poured a tall glassful. "Would you like any Sir Sidius?"

"No, Saharin, that should be all for now." He declined and she disappeared into one of the back rooms for the servants. "She's the youngest of the delinquents we have here other than the children. A mere thirty-eight. She tried escaping over the wall about a year ago. It's a shame, she had much potential." He reached over and took my chalice just to pour some of its contents into his own. Before I could object, another voice was addressing me.

"Now that the night has progressed further, we would love to hear what you have come up with to share with us!" The council member from before interjected.

"Well-"

"And once again you waste all the time you bought for yourself," Darmon spoke under his breath just loud enough for me to hear. It enraged me, I wasn't going to let him treat me this way.

"Actually, I created a water battalion and attacked the water dragon in her lake," I admitted proudly. I was hoping I could leave it at that but a part of me knew that was not going to be the end of it.

"That is incredible! Having the lake conquered is a significant asset! Did you imprison or kill the dragon once you defeated her?" Another member asked. I reluctantly shook my head.

"Unfortunately she got her daughters involved-" I began but I was interrupted again.

"So you did not conquer the lake Floria?" They asked for clarification.

"No, you see we had the upper hand-"

"Did the bokoblins fail you in the battle?" Another voice spoke up.

"Well, yes but no more than usual."

"So what happened? What else have you been doing?"

"I had an interruption!" I blurted loudly. There were too many people speaking over me. I was beginning to panic. "And I would appreciate it if you all would quit speaking over your lord as if I am just another council member! Especially since I was the one to found the council in the first place." I barked at all of them. A hush fell over the rest of the hall. Now I had hundreds of eyes upon me. "I had an interruption in the battle. I struck a temporary deal with the water dragon in return."

"My lord, is she willing to keep her part of the bargain?"

"I am doubtful, only because I did not keep mine."

"What was the interruption?" The question I was trying to dance around finally arrived. And this conversation was going to go in only two different directions.

"A human had fallen out of the sky and into the lake," I explained. An even deeper silence rolled over everyone around me. "It was a young human and she seemed like she could be of use. So I told Faron I would retreat if she let me return the child."

"My lord, you let the power of the entire lake go for a pesky human? What could you possibly-"

"Even if we have control of the region, that doesn't guarantee that the hero wouldn't find a way to protect the goddess regardless. And the girl isn't like the rest of the goddess' people."

"How so? How can you trust her?"

"Because she couldn't even speak Hylian!" More confused and perplexed faces stared blankly.

"Then what does she speak? Ancient sheikah?"

"No, she came from a different world. She doesn't speak any native tongues." I clarified.

"That's a bit far-fetched of an idea" Darmon doubted aloud.

"Yes, but it is true. She could be so delusion that she believes she is. But she does have some strong physical differences from any humans in the sky. Her ears are small and rounded. She's very mysterious in many ways but she has no knowledge of anything the humans in the sky know. I want her to trust us demons more than her own kind." I revealed. I had a few head nods but many more looks of uncertainty. This was unlike anything we had ever done. I understood why they might be uneasy. "I encourage all of you to have faith in me as you always do. She is young and has a malleable mind. When the time comes, she could enter Skyloft and prevent parts of the Goddess's prophecy from fulfilling!"

"Are you certain you can train her in such a way?" Sidius questioned.

"As certain as certain can be." I grinned. I knew I had them on my side. They were reluctant and skeptical but still on my side.

I took another large drink from my cup and drained all of its contents. Before I knew it, a pitcher was over my should refilling it.

"You know, I like her, Sidius." I teased so she could hear me. She tried to suppress a smile. "I would like her to be relocated," I demanded and Sidius was well aware of where I was going with this. "I'd like her to be my own personal servant. I hate having so many people come into my room for one task. I need one person who will be obedient and work hard to answer my many requests."

"Well, my lord, I completely understand. However, it would have to be up to Saharin herself on what she would like to do." Sidius hummed by her ear. She was getting a bit flustered, nervous even. I enjoyed seeing her so interesting in the offer I was proposing.

"Well, Saharin? You would have to be comfortable completing all my requests and be at my call at any time." I lowered my voice, but her face changed from nervous to a very challenging side glance.

"My lord, there is no request I would not fulfill for you." She answered.

After the dinner finished, and back in my chambers, I pressed Saharin's body against the wall as I sunk into her. Her lips were dancing with mine. I was slowly feeling my hands up and down her body while untying and unbuttoning her servant's uniform.

Her body was so petite and so gentle compared to mine. I was towering over her. Soon enough all of her clothes were scattered about my suite from me tossing them away from us. My hand found her upper thigh and I raised it to my hip while supporting her. I used my other arm to lift her other thigh and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I carried her over to the bed where I threw her and began to undo my suit. I pounced onto her and began to gently bite and kiss her neck while slowly progressing our intimacy.

Once we had finished our little liaison. I grabbed a towel from one of the dressers and wrapped it around my waist. There was a loud knock at the door. While I wasn't worried much, Saharin looked frightened and began to dress and clean herself up from our moment. The knocking persisted and once she was done putting her uniform on, I opened the door and she hurried out. Darmon glimpsed at her and then back to me in my towel.

"You understand the level of reputation you have and you choose to sleep your time around with a simple servant?" He barked.

"I do as I want, so what if I choose to have a bit of free time to myself? You are not one to tell me how to spend it or who it should be with." I reprimanded. "And before you start your babbling about everything else that happened tonight, I'm going to make myself clear. I am the protege of my master. I am the lord of the demons and I am ruling over them. You will not continue to betray me based on our history together, I will not deal with it much longer."

"My lord, I will not continue to see you squander yourself in front of our most important city citizens." He demanded.

"I am not squandering myself!" I objected.

"All I can say as an advisor and as a friend is that you have been failing in completing your tasks as a respectable authority and harming your relationships. You best not let it continue much further because people are counting on you to win our freedom back. Heaven forbid the hero wins and strikes down the Demon King, all would be lost for our kind." His words struck a chord in me. "If you wish to sleep with a servant, that is fine. If you wish to try this plan you have with the human girl, so be it. But you must not let yourself become slothful. You are great. You are destined to be so."

I nodded and took in his words. I had been finding myself procrastinating. I need to begin researching and working to gain the upper hand. I should no longer be embarrassed when presenting to the council. I responded to him, "I understand. Changes will be made." I dismissed Darmon and returned to my bed for the night.

In the morning, I awoke with the sunrise. I rose to get my garments on and teleported to the entrance hall where I met my escort. He was just a typical powerful demon that was more there for looks than for strength. I was still much more powerful than he could imagine. But, as perfect as I may be, if an incident arose, I would need someone to be on my side of it all.

"What would you like me to do for the day, my lord?" A humble voice spoke from behind me. Saharin stood looking purposeless and confused. I forgot that having a personal servant meant I needed to give her orders.

"Your job is to be prepared to answer my every need, so you must follow me into town for the day," I instructed. Her face lit up enthusiastically and she stood up straight with confidence.

"My lord, she is a delinquent, she would not be able to teleport with us to and back from the marketplace." My escort reminded me. I saw her face fall again as she took a step backward.

"I suppose we will have to take a nice walk to the market then." I strutted. My escort looked burdened by this. I didn't let it bother me. I just applauded myself for being so noble.

The three of us began our parade through town. Maybe citizens came up to me and asked for blessing, hugs, and attention. They adored me, understandably. Other than my master, I have been their ruler for centuries. I have been incredible to them, I felt gifted by having them fawn over me, it is always well deserved.

Our parade quickly came to an end once we made it to the large street covered with tents and vendors. There was every sort of trait and item available at our market. I had a checklist to follow. So I started to work my way down the busy street.

"You may get whatever of your choosing while we are here." I offered to Saharin. She immediately shook her head.

"My lord, being here is enough for me and to be grateful for. It's not often enough that I get a day off to come this deep into the city." She shrugged and gazed around. I saw the first tailor shop approach us on the left. I took some steps over and the owner bowed her head in response.

"My lord, what brings you to our boutique today?" She asked politely. I saw her glimpse over at Saharin. "We are an all-female clothing boutique, but we could always make exceptions for our most-high." I laughed and shook my head slowly.

"I am in fact looking for female clothing. I honestly need the best quality that you have." I explained. The owner looked at me with confusion but once again looked over to Saharin who was feeling the fabric samples over the booth. The shopkeeper opened up a booklet of patterns and designs drawn inside. I flipped through and created a list of which I wanted.

"Do you know the measurement of the clothes, or would you like me to take them for you here?" The woman asked while picking up a pencil and notebook.

"I- uh, actually don't know the measurements. I will have to guess." I explained. I had a quick and easy idea. "Actually, take her measurement but create it for someone a little smaller about five inches shorter in height and shrink the measurement to match in bulk." The seamstress laughed.

"Smaller? My lord, she's already practically a midget, are you sure you want the clothes smaller?" She asked a bit confused.

"I know what I'm asking for. Now, I'm paying and ordering you to have it done, so it better be up to my standards before I depart tomorrow." I barked. She bowed her head and quickly began to tally up the total. Once she said it, I snapped my figured and a handful of silver rupees were in my grasp. "You may keep the extra change. May it be an encouragement to meet my deadline; which is tomorrow morning."

"Yes, my lord!" She agreed and then quickly shuffled Saharin into a back area that was blocked by a curtain. A few moments later Saharin hurried back out looking giddy and ready to move on.

Our next errand wasn't going to be on the streets with the rest of the vendors. I ended up taking the lead past my escort to walk into a back alleyway with an open door frame leading into an old brick building. I entered slowly with the rest of my entourage. It was dusty and smelled of aging beer. I turned a corner and saw a figure with a face shield on and a large leather apron. Once he spotted me he dropped his tools and bowed respectfully.

"My lord, I t'was not expecting yee." The character spoke with a peculiar accent. "I hope the bed I made yee a century ago is still holding up strong!" He laughed excitedly.

"Why it sure is, I'm actually here for another one." I inquired. His face brightened up.

"Yee want another?" I think his lust for money kept him from asking any more questions than that. But I nodded and dropped a sack a rupees on his floor

"Yes, one more, however just a standard queen. Nothing too special, just make it a sight for sore eyes. I would also like a matching desk, dresser, some nightstands, and whatever bedroom set designs you have." He quickly searched the sack of all its contents and then began to mutter to himself while working. I yawned and spun around to leave him be. He worked best undistracted. The other two quickly shuffled behind me and awaited further instructions.

"Saharin, tell me," I demanded and she perked up ready for an answer. "When you were young, actually you still are so even better, what else would you like to be comfortable a new place?" I glanced around while we walked back out to the Main Street of the marketplace.

"Well, my lord, if I was in a completely new place, I would enjoy finding a hobby or task to keep me busy." She answered. It was a good answer. I immediately turned to march to the booth I trusted would provide those objects.

It was pestering to have every person in the street bump into me or interrupt my train of thought. I quickly remembered why I had a required escort. I turned to him and he began to usher the masses away from me and I went to a small booth. The boy running the booth quickly ran to his mother for assistance. She walked over and nearly fainted at the sight of me. Her son held her up and continue to push her toward the table.

"My lord, what brings you here on this fine day?" She panted while looking around frantically.

"I want the finest craft supplies you have," I demanded. The woman shakily turned to go to the back of her booth and pull out some jars of paint, a bundle of pencils, and a stack of parchment.

"My lord, this is as exquisite as we have." She handed them to me and in return, I paid her well over her due. Money was not something I used often, I keep the taxes low on the city and receive a small portion, however letting it sit and build over the last hundreds of years and minimal spending has given me quite a fortune. It is unsurprising, of course. I am their lord. It would look deplorable if I was tight on cash.

I spent the rest of the day wandering the marketplace and spending money left and right. I bought food, books, shoes, and jewelry. I was going to make Catto as comfortable as possible, there will be no reason for her to no trust and obey me if I continue to treat her this way. I also bought Saharin a few items to thank her for her company and assistance. I did not get anything for my escort.

Back at the city center, I was ready for some time back in my chambers. I turned to Saharin and smiled. I was ready to meet her in my room but I remembered her lack of magic. So we took the long way together, walking up the stairs.

At the top, I unlocked my bedroom door and ushered her in. She giggled quietly to herself.

"Is there anything you'd like me to help you with, my lord?" She grinned and I smirked back.

"I've had a terribly long day, I may need someone to help me relax and give me a reason to destress." I hummed and then sat on my bed to unbutton the shirt I was wearing.

"Well, of course! Whatever you order, it is my duty to serve." She walked over and straddled my legs with hers. "I am more than happy to help you with any task." She moved my hands and began to unbutton my shirt slowly for me. I lifted put my arms on her body and watched them feel her waist and her breasts. I typically only would "befriend" a woman to have sex with me once and then she could tell the story for the rest of her life. Saharin would be one of the few I have decided to follow-up with.

Her lips dove onto mine and she pulled off my shirt completely. I quickly got her message and realized she was ready to escalate the situation. I took my hands and tore off her dress at the seams to get inside. She arched her back and reach down to begin taking off my pants but before we could continue a loud knocking interrupted us.

I was quite distraught by the event. I grumbled and threw Saharan into the bed by herself. I had a strong feeling I knew who was at the door. With my pants still on but unmistakably unbuttoned, I stoop up and swung the door wide open. Saharan yelped and scurried under the sheets to cover herself. Darmon stared back at me and looked disgusted by the scene.

"Very mature," he cooed sarcastically. "Is this what you've been up to all day?" I wanted to correct him on what I was truly doing, but he always kept tabs on me; I knew he already knew what my day consisted of.

"You are going to have certain hours where you can visit me." I leaned against the doorframe and frowned.

"And then nothing else would be on time." Darmon rolled his eyes. "I just came to check-in."

"Well you did, bye-bye." I began to close the door again. He stopped it with his foot in return to keep me there.

"You bought new furniture and female clothing."

"Is that a question or a statement?" I retorted. He narrowed his eyes.

"It was a statement. I'm hoping that it isn't all for the little kid."

"She's not a little kid, she is fourteen." I corrected but he laughed mockingly.

"And how long has it been since you were fourteen?" He questioned. I saw his point. "I understand you are trying to make her comfortable but you don't need to treat her like a queen. She is still human after all."

"She is human, however, I prefer her not sleeping in my bed every night and she had been wearing rags, so it's beginning to smell," I complained.

"So buy her a few more rags and let her sleep on the floor. She should be grateful for at least that. Give her the same resources you give to your troops. Or is she manipulating you into pitying her already?"

"She isn't manipulating me. However, if she will be staying with me then I must maintain structure, order, and appearances for both of our sakes and sanity. If I wanted a mutt to lick my floors clean, I would have gotten one."

"I'm just looking out for you. You seem to already be forming a bond with her. I was concerned." He eased up and frowned.

"Well, you've done enough. Let me make decisions for myself. I have my duties and you have yours. Do not continue to cross over lines." I ordered. He nodded and stepped away.

"Before you leave tomorrow, I would like to have breakfast with you a Sidius. For old times sake?"

"That seems reasonable. I will just need time because I must bring all of the items I've bought today up to the threshold and then teleport each piece to Faron. It will take a few hours I predict."

"Completely workable. Wear something comfortable."

"Certainly." I agreed and he dismissed himself and I shut the door. I turned to Saharin who was holding the sheets over herself nervously.

"Perhaps he will relax after the king is returned." She smiled gently. She was trying to make me less irritated, but it made me more stressed. When the king is returned? It was my destiny to do so and I only had a matter of a few years left. I am the only hope for my people. Not only do I have to succeed in aiding his return, but what would afterward be like?

I sat on the bed and dropped my head into my hands to think. Saharin sat up and crawled over the bed and rubbed my shoulders. I held my hand up for her to stop and she did.

"My apologies, my lord." She apologized but her voice was unapologetic. She used a hushed tone and emphasized my title. Her voice sang it. I turned back to her and she had her face close to mine. There was something about her that made her addicting. Like a drug. Yet, drugs always lead to problems in the future, I didn't see how she could cause me any more trouble than I already have. I leaned in, met my lips to her, and hand my way with her for a second time.

I knew I didn't have much time today for this morning's breakfast. I needed to begin my work by getting all of my items back to the house before it goes too late in the day. This blasted breakfast was going to most likely delay me more than I would care to admit. I put on some casual clothes that kept the dry sandy air of the desert from irritating my skin. I had no clue what these plans were going to entail.

I walked leisurely to the main hall where Darmon and Sidius were waiting. Sidius looked tired and disturbed and Darmon looked uncomfortable that he even suggested this. Nevertheless, once I arrived they both bowed and we walked out the main door together. The streets were busy and many individuals stopped us to inquire and greet. Darmon was leading the way and was impatiently charging his way through the crowds. Sidius and I caught up and we followed close behind him quietly.

Sidius and I were pleasantly surprised when we saw Darmon lead us to the small back ally that took us to our favorite small restaurant in the city. It was owned by some of Sidius' distant relatives and kept under the radar for only the most elite of customers. Once inside we were given a table in the middle of the room. We were the first customers of the day since it was so early.

"My lord, we welcome you to our service once again. It has been a while." The waitress walks up and greets with a bow. "Sir Mundray and Sir Argorith, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Please, I prefer Sidius." Sidius corrected. His last name is tied to many different well-known individuals and traits. He always preferred his given name to stand out more.

"Well, Sir Sidius, you are welcome to anything on the menu, as always we will provide fresh meed to the epic trio." She held out her tray and three large mugs filled with mead appeared for her to hand out. Sidius quickly began to down his but Darmon and I started to glance over our menu. I had many favorites but my eyes kept catching one dish in particular.

"Any decisions? Any usuals?" The waitress grinned hospitably.

"I would say the usual for Sidius since he is too busy drowning himself to order." Darmon snickered. I looked over at Sidius who had just finished his last sip of meed. I let out a soft chuckle and looked back to Darmon who was stilled amused. "And I will just take the pan-seared buck." Everyone looked towards me, I cleared my throat for the answer.

"Could I take the fresh fried eggs with rye?" I asked. Sidius and Darmon were a bit shocked by my order but the waitress smiled and shook her head.

"It will all be here shortly." She hummed and walked away.

"Trying to slim down a bit?" Sidius teased while wiping his face from dripping mead.

"Are you counting carbs now?" Darmon added. They knew I typically ordered something larger and a bit more hearty than a couple of eggs and toast. However, I felt like I wanted to see how theirs would taste. It could be very delicious.

"I just wanted to try something different." I shrugged. Darmon locked eyes with me. It seemed like a threatening glare until he broke it with a laugh.

"You know, if the king were here, we probably wouldn't even be eating." He began to drink his mead.

"Haha! You're right Darmon. We would be sitting in the main hall for twelve hours and being force-fed war tactics and retreating patterns." Sidius stretched back to get comfortable. I realized they were both being light-hearted and I smiled to see where this was going.

"Now, Argorith, what would you say to the outer ring going to the harbor?" Sidius mimicked my master's voice to make it more amusing.

"My king, you already decided the outer ring was going to the barricade." Darmon dramatically called in response. Sidius scratched his chin and continued his impressions.

"Of course... Argorith! You're a genius! We need to place them on the barricade! Ghirahim! Go straight and conquer the barricade!" He ordered me while he stood up on his chair in a heroic stance.

"Master, the barricade weak enough to fall-" I began but Sidius raised his hand to cut me off.

"Shut up!" Sidius growled at me and I cut myself off.

"My king, the barricade is weak enough to fall on its own!" Darmon added.

"ARGORITH! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Sidius laughed and dove on top of Darmon who used some magic to redirect him to fall on his face. A heavy laugh escaped me. Once Sidius got up and dusted himself off to join us at the table again he let out a sigh of relaxation. "While life was certainly organized and boring while he was around, we seemed much more productive. I'm excited to begin initiating some humans into the servitude program once this is all over."

"Yeah, Ghirahim, you could give the little rat have a special spot in the sewers instead of in the trenches with the rest of the humans. That way she is rewarded for her hard work assisting our people." Darmon took a final swig and finished his drink. I nodded and stared into my untouched mug.

"Yes, at least then she will keep her mouth shut and understand her place," I grumbled defeatedly.

"You see, that's what I don't understand about you, you let yourself get defeated. What you need to do is put your foot down and show her who she's dealing with. She should be scrubbing your floors and kissing your ass every day." While Darmon was laughing but I knew he was also being serious. He never wasted a breath without a lecture for me. "Just, treat her kindly, but when you must, tread lightly over her as a reminder. A small punishment here and there will only do a pet well."

Our food arrived and was set in front of us. I cut into my eggs and bread and they were awfully good. Better than the ones I had tried to make on my own. I wanted to understand how someone as extraordinary as myself could be so talentless when stepping into a kitchen. I understood I never needed to learn cooking, but surely it was easy to know when food smells and looked cooked rather than not. Catto certainly had that understanding, however, she had a long way to learn.

Once we finished, our meals, the conversations quickly died out and refused to resurface. However, they both did offer to assist me in transporting all of the new items I bought for Catto, to and from the threshold. I was carefully teleporting and placing them in front of the house in Faron and they were bringing them into the threshold for me to take away. Many items were in pieces and needed construction. At one point I looked back at the house during one of my trips and saw Catto sprinting through the house through the hallway windows. She had not even noticed me or the furniture in the front yard, how clueless? I was curious to see what she had been up to. I was also relieved to see her alive, and not injured in any way. I had little worry that she would run off, but after learning more of who she is, I realize it is unlikely she will leave unless I prompt her to.

I took the last item from Sidius and bid my friends farewell for the time being. I knew I would return soon. I reappeared on my front lawn and summoned a small troop of bokoblins to the area and instructed each of them to gather to tools and pieces necessary to create the bedroom after I gave them further instructions. But first, I wanted to see what Catto had been doing running around the house so frantically.

I was expecting her to be acting as foolish as I had just seen her. I was excited for her to notice that I was back, however, I was only greeted with an empty hallway. I peered into the kitchen, it was spotless. Dishes were clean and everything was dusted and wiped down. If I was being honest, it was cleaner than how I left it. I wasn't expecting her to be so responsible. The floors were shined and windows were crystal clear too. She had been cleaning for the last three days? I was expecting her to be rambunctious and mischievous; getting her nose into things she shouldn't.

I was startled by how silent the house was. Where had she gone? I quietly walked down the hall and then a melody sang to my ear from the other section of the manor.

My piano?

It was certainly my piano. The out-of-tune notes interrupted the elegant ode but it was promptly corrected by finding the next proper in-tune note. It was quite the passionate ad-lib; something that would take years to master. I realized quickly I was being hoodwinked by the little twat. Darmon's words echoed through my ears.

_"Or is she manipulating you into pitying her already?"_

I took a deep breath to calm myself before losing my temper. I walked through the library doors and stood to listen. My rage was boiling over when I saw the girl sitting at the bench and dancing her fingers over the keys. It continued for a while, she was stuck too much in her head to notice her audience. I too was beginning to become enchanted, but the spell broke when she noticed my reflection in the gloss of the instrument and her hands crashed into a multitude of uncomplimentary keys while turning around to look at me. As angry as I was, as soon as we made eye contact I felt a flood of relief fill me. The sight of her put me in almost a completely different mood, however, that was most likely due to all the manipulation she had been casting on me. Fortunately for her, it was enough to keep me from lashing out as much as I originally was going to.

"You play?" I asked, hopefully, language barriers wouldn't keep her from understanding my sarcasm. And as if she read my mind-

"That's a bit of a rhetorical question isn't it?" She answered nervously. Her voice was shaky. I did my best to hide my visual betrayal of her response. I had never taught her that word. I know every word I placed on her vocabulary sheet. And it was such a complex sentence for her to be able to know for her skill level. She certainly had been up to mischief, she had gone to the books I forbade her from. Regardless, I remain calm by looking into her eyes and keeping my emotions at bay.

"You learned 'rhetorical' from teaching yourself while I was gone, yes?" And she softly nodded. I soon realized that I was not upset by her teaching herself. I was still steaming about her newfound musical talent, which I was not going to be left unsaid. "You did not teach yourself how to do that, in three days." I gestured towards the piano and she did not even flinch to look at it again.

"I already knew."

"That is clear," I answered blankly, I needed composure. I realized I had just spent a fortune on her. I got her everything to make her feel comfortable so she would be open with me, but she had already taken advantage of me and walked over my kindness. Then again, I wasn't going to make her start sleeping in the woods, and I was certainly not sleeping in the library any longer. "Let me show you your bedroom." I beckoned her. Her eyes glowed and she marched at attention until we reached my lair. Inside I noticed all of my things. I had storage to keep it all at, so all I needed was to relocate it so there was room for her furniture set.

Once I had everything cleaned away I escorted to two of us back to the main door where I would bring in the bokoblins. The train of items began to track into the building and we stood to the side in the hall to watch. I peered down at her, she was mesmerized. I don't think she was quite aware of what had been going on, however, once the mattress came through I think the picture was clear.

"Is that all for me?" She gasped while continuing to stare. She was grateful, and if I had known that the look on her face was going to feel as rewarding as it did, I would have gotten her these things much sooner.

I was getting ahead of myself. I was still supposed to be angry with her mutiny. I needed to remain neutral for the time being.

"Yes, I got this all from the city," I answered but I realized I let out a small chuckle. I cleared my throat and tried to combat it with a negative addition, "I want to sleep in my own bed again."

Catto immediately looked as though her whole world had been torn apart right before her. I took a step back in astonishment. She had just been so delighted a moment ago! Her mind struggled to find the words to express her emotions.

"I cleaned the house to be nice." She growled while rubbing her face. Perhaps I misread her previous reaction. Because she was now acting like a spoiled brat.

"Well, that's quite inconsiderate!" I barked. She quickly stared back at me disturbed but confused. Of course, she knew what 'rhetorical' was but she didn't understand 'inconsiderate'. "You don't care about what I'm doing for you. You think I'm just making a mess." I defined but her face quickly shifted to horror as she tried to take back her words. A miscommunication on her part.

"No-no-no that's not what I meant!" I could see her beginning to worry but her head quickly snapped over to see the fine chest with all of her clothes inside. She ran up to the bokoblins carrying it and interrupted them. Once she peaked through, she froze. She appeared broken, I did not understand what she was doing until she turned back and sprinted over towards me. I wasn't aware of what she was trying to do but then she wrapped her arms around my waist and held me close.

I was entirely uncomfortable.

I realized I could easily fornicate with a stranger but not be hugged by a teenager. It was only a few moments but the feeling began to seer itself under my skin.

"I'm not upset, I just don't know what else I can do to repay you." She quivered. I aggressively pushed her off of me and she fell onto the floor. I initially felt bad after hearing her hiss in discomfort, but I realized I could still feel her embrace even after she let go.

"How about you start by never doing that again?" I demanded. She seemed caught entirely off guard. She ended up not responding and calmly getting up to walk into her new bedroom. I took a small pitstop into my own room. It was certainly cleaner than it has been in decades. I tried keeping things tidy on my own, however, I rarely dedicated the time or the soldiers to have it done for me. She had made my bed. I realized she truly did go out of her way to make sure everything was perfect for my arrival home. But why? She had no idea I was bringing her all of those items back.

I went over to my dresser and opened my drawer to the whistle she gifted me and inspected it. While I don't doubt she knew how to be creative with garbage similar to this in her past. Properly carving a stick to play several different notes and understanding the musical components of an instrument like this takes a vast understanding of the subject. She was taught this, and my hunch was that was by the same source of her piano lessons. I became curious and walked over to the other side of my bed.

I sat down on the side that she typically slept on and was uneasily greeted by a hard lump under the covers. I pulled back the bed and realized she had left her journal. I curiously flipped through to see if she was writing in it. She was. However, when I attempted to read through some of her thoughts, I realized it was still all in her native language and that I could not understand it. I slammed the book shut and walked over to return it to her.

The room was finished in no time. While it was a rather strange setup, the matching furniture gave it a pleasant design. She was frozen, again, staring at her bed. She then took a step towards it, then another, and then sat down on the edge. She was stuck in a daze, so I chimed in.

"I'm happy that you are grateful." She looked up at me and grinned softly. "You left this in my room."

"Thank you, so much. I've never had this much in my life." She anxiously spurted. I realized that this was my time to assert myself.

"Yes, I've noticed, which makes me incredulous," I responded. I purposely used a difficult word to confuse her, but before she could inquire about it, I continued speaking. "For an orphan girl who grew up with nothing, I can't help but wonder how you would know how to play the piano like that. Or had the knowledge to create something like this," I held her whistle up and then stashed it away again.

"It is strange. I just... have a talent." She bullshitted. A talent? She was truly trying to lie her way out of this too wasn't she? Very well... I let my face fall and I approached her and kneeled on the floor, putting my face inches from her. I spoke to her with a harsh, low tone.

"I want to be clear. Now that language is no longer becoming an obstacle, I will find out everything about you and there is not much you can do to stop me. So if you have secrets you want to keep undisclosed, I would start forming your lies now. And make them more convincing because I won't be having you believe you are invulnerable in my own home."

She swallowed heavily and then leaned away from my face. She wasn't frightened, she was intimidated, which was exactly what I was intending. I stood up tall and turned away from her. I figured we were done speaking with each other, she probably did not have many words to respond to what I had just said. So when her voice echoed, "Did you want anything for dinner?," before I shut the door, I realized I was then the one at a loss for words. I shook my head and then shut the door behind me.

I stood in the hallway for a moment. She genuinely just offered to cook for me after that? Did she think I was bluffing? Was she not intimidated as I had thought? What sort of response was that? I teleported to my bedroom and then sat down on my edge of the bed. I reached into my pocket jacket pockets and pulled out the few jars of paints from the market. I had the brushes in another pocket. I already put the pencils and parchment in her desk earlier, since I can always get her more, but the extra paints as a gift were staying with me until I felt it necessary to reward her. So I stored them in a drawer in my dresser where she would not see them.

I spent the rest of the evening organizing all of the items I had kept in my lair to fit in my bedroom. It was cluttered and chaotic. However, it would work for the time being. As long as she has her own space and didn't run away, I was content with dealing with some untidiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I feel really accomplished by finally getting this chapter out here. I've mentioned this before, but I like to try and write ahead of schedule and keep a good time budget for when chapters need to be finished and edited. Typically I spend the week prior to editing and fixing the chapters I am preparing to post and working slowly on writing newer ones. This was a long and complex chapter. To put it in perspective, I try to keep my chapters on the shorter side of 2,000 (on a rough day)- 4,000 (on a good day) words. Which ends up being about 3-6 pages long single-spaced.
> 
> This chapter was 10,300 words and 16 pages single-spaced.
> 
> In other words, when I was trying to finish finals, deal with my family matters AND finish writing+editing this chapter at the normal pace of my other chapters, it took soooo much longer. Nevertheless, I hope it was enjoyed. I really liked writing this.

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry for the late update. School and personal life needed to come first for a hot minute. I'm also working on some pretty long chapters coming up. There is not Ghirahim perspective for this chapter. Thank you for all the reads. It means a lot. If you want to show any support, please give a kudos, keep reading, and leave a comment. It's easy, quick, and free!


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